Sculpted Garden
With frequent visits from small children, our clients' primary concern was to provide a safe and robust environment for play.
As the garden was overlooked by neighbouring houses it was also important to provide hard and soft screening to maintain a good level of privacy.
The clients expressed a desire for a garden that was attractive to a diverse range of wildlife and had a natural and contemplative feel.
They also requested that we recycle as much material as possible to reduce costs to within a fixed budget and to limit environmental impact.
Site Inspection
An inspection of the garden revealed a number of overgrown and sickly plants, including a very wayward climber growing to the rear of the property.
We were immediately struck by the precipitous nature of a wall used to retain the current lawn area. Its height not only presented a hazard to children but created an oppressive well effect that made the patio area feel small and enclosed.
The current planting scheme provided little or no screening.
Work Carried Out
Our main objectives were to remove the retaining wall, open up the patio area and replace plants and fences with something that afforded greater privacy.
We also wanted to introduce flowing, organic shapes that broke the geometry normally found in modern suburban gardens.
To achieve this, we developed a landscape which rose gently away from the rear of the property to create a vale effect. A plateau and wildlife garden area were created towards the back of the garden to allow children to play and enjoy garden visitors.
The wall surrounding the patio area was removed and the reclaimed stone used to build raised beds, retained by a dry stone wall at either end. The patio was also expanded and shaped to match the undulating shapes of the garden. A curved, low wooden palisade was used to add extra dimension to the design.
Unwanted shrubs, plants and the climber were removed and the beds prepared to receive new stock. Native shrubs were used to provide an ascending barrier and a large hand-woven willow fence was erected to the rear.
Native wildflowers, reclaimed from demolition sites, were planted as an understorey to the shrubs surrounding the grassy areas.
Project Summary
| Location | Winsley, Wiltshire |
| Budget | £5,000 |
| Duration | 6 weeks |
