- Project 6 -

Villiage Garden

The Brief

Claire and Alistair moved to their new home in a beautiful area of Wroughton, with an ancient brook running alongside their boundary. The house, built in the 1960s, had a level, well-stocked garden that wraps around it, giving three potentially distinct areas, however, the style didn’t reflect their tastes. While Claire and Alistair were keen to be involved in the physical gardening, as well as getting their teenage son involved, they were lacking confidence in their garden knowledge and skills, so we agreed we would work together on Saturday mornings so I could teach them as we went along and (as an extra bonus!) Alistair could do the heavy digging!

The Design

We agreed on a monthly budget for my time and planting and started with the largest section of the garden, the patio outside the lounge and dining room. We first discussed redesigning the whole area, but I felt we could update the garden without replacing large areas of paving, therefore leaving more of the budget for planting. In this area we completely overhauled the planting, changing up the more traditional cottage garden flowers for exotic, architectural foliage plants. We created bog areas for gunneras, introduced large ferns, and unusual cultivars.

One area that I did feel would benefit from a redesign was the area immediately outside the kitchen and snug. Rather an afterthought, it was the perfect size for a small courtyard on the side of the house, which offered some welcome shade and shelter away from the heat of the patio. I designed a simple slate paved area, with improved steps leading to the snug and a contemporary timber screen to make it feel more enclosed. Working with a local landscaper, we had the paving and screen installed, and continued the slatted fencing style around to extend the height on the existing boundary fencing.

As the project has continued, the entrance to the property has been improved, with other sections of fencing and gateways being added to create a cohesive feel to the whole garden. The front garden is currently being redesigned as a mixed vegetable and flower garden, with timber structures that will support climbing plants during the summer.

I am particularly pleased with the progress of this project, working in collaboration with Claire and Alistair to create a space where they can really relax and enjoy their gardening activities. As their confidence has grown, they have been able to take on more of the maintenance, using their budget to bring in more planting and several commissioned pieces of mosaic art to sit within the planting zones. By agreeing on the overall design themes of the garden at the beginning, we have been able to continue that look throughout, creating a garden that is in keeping with their contemporary interior style.