BEFORE
The homeowners of this terraced garden in Faversham called me in to throw a fresh pair eyes on their garden. The catalyst? The new dog- the grass was now a muddy mess and growing plants was becoming tricky. What I saw when did my site analysis was that the garden had some good bones, A curvy path, some great pots and some great trees in the neighbouring garden. There was a sense of height and privacy lacking. The garden felt narrower and longer in its current configuration. The arch at the top of the garden and the shed were the focal points and the blue maybe too distracting from the rest of the garden.
design
The design was to keep the good bones and then add to them. The curvy path, the patio and arch to remain. Gone the grass! The plan was to create a journey through the garden. A new pergola further down the garden would flank another seating area, perfect for coffee, and would echo tie into the existing arch. The inspiration was a Mediterranean, to complement the pots and warm tones. Curvy raised beds, made out of Corten steel, bring planting further out into the garden, to make it feel wider. These would also help to make gardening easier and help to deter the dog out of the planting. Self binding gravel, covers the ground and is planted into with shrubs and trees to bring height to the garden.
after
The garden was meticulously taken apart by Hythe Garden Landscapes. All the plants potted up into a temporary home. Lots of wheelbarrow loads up and down the alley! Patios were laid (reusing some of the original stones), gravel, beds and pergolas all installed. I managed to convince the owners to change the colour of the arch to complement the garden, rather than contrast it. In the original concept I had selected a rusty orange but this mossy/ sage green works well with the scheme.
The larger plants were brought in and the crowning features being a Heptacodium Miconoides, Cornus Kousa, Arbutus Unedo and Betula Utilis Jaquemontii. As well as sculpturally pleasing, help break up the space and bring height to the garden. With the rest of the planting I worked with the clients, keen gardeners, to reuse the plants they had an embellish them with some new additions.
The clients feedback
“Catriona’s care and attentions to detail over out hopes for the garden made it seem as if ours was the only garden she was thinking about. She listened, did what she said she would and produced a creative , unexpected design for our long thing garden. We are thrilled with it. It was relaxing and enjoyable to work with Catriona“
Landscaping and use of photos https://www.hythegardenlandscapes.co.uk/
Larger shrubs and trees https://www.palmstead.co.uk/
