JUST STARTING
Area: 135 sq. m.
A garden for wildlife is hidden within the clear structure and form required to make this compact space for people too.
Plants for wildlife are a key part of this plan. Nectar rich roses and Persicarias will attract pollinators from May to October, and early bulbs will provide food for bumblebees emerging from hibernation. This garden design shows how a garden for wildlife can be part of a layout for people, in complete harmony.
A garden for wildlife is hidden within the clear structure and form required to make this compact space for people too.
John Brookes introduced the "room outside" to garden design in the 1960s. Particularly in urban environments, this was life enhancing. The sense of flow from inside to out produced new living space within existing boundaries and blended house and garden. John Brookes mentored and taught many fledging designers (my former principal amongst their number). His influence was global, and his theories remain highly relevant today.
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For this city garden, the room outside is the perfect solution. Space to relax is at the heart of the plans. This project, starting soon, will give the clients a seamless flow from kitchen all the way through the garden.
We have opted for the drama of the stage set - an elegant outdoor dining table the centrepiece at the back, framed by buttresses of evergreen hedging. But the hedges also create elements of surprise on a journey up pairs of porcelain steps. The centre will be a sunbathing lawn cocooned in colour and scent. A bespoke shed to one side will be largely hidden until you enter the lawn and we are making the most of this structure as a painted backdrop to airy perennials and a support for climbing roses. A contractor is on board, and by the summer we hope the clients will be luxuriating in their new space.