Kim Graham
Garden Design Studio

Entrance

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Coming through the gate of the property there will be a mowed grass path on your left leading to the 2mX3m shed and two composting bays. The path on your right will take you to green roof bin storage and the oil tank. I chose to relocate the oil tank to this position so it can be easily accessed from the entrance to the property, and is completely out of direct sight so it doesn’t take away from the overall design.

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A morning meander

 

The mowed grass serpentine path against the Western boundary meanders through a meadow feel with trees running along the entire boundary. This path takes you to a set of benches; this is where the owners can enjoy their morning coffee. This position will receive beautiful morning light. The trees in this area will have lots of bird feeders, bird houses, and butterfly hotels attached to them; this will create a beautiful oasis filled with wildlife. There will also be a bird bath in this area to create a space where the wildlife feels comfortable and invited. There will be three hedgehog homes placed in this area, as I want this garden to be as eco and wildlife friendly as possible.

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Blocking the elements

 

Walking back down the serpentine path and reaching the driveway with the front door directly in front of you, turning right to begin the journey to the rear end of the garden, you will notice the beautiful evergreen trees running along the full Northern boundary, blocking the wind and enclosing the site.

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Immersed in nature

 

The garage will be in front of you; with an inviting pergola walkway leading you to the deck on your left. From the deck you have a stunning view of the entire garden, and the river water feature. Using the mowed grass pathway in front of the deck will lead you on a meandering journey through the garden, bringing you to a timber flat bridge, which takes you over the water feature and into the circular seating area. This circular seating area is completely surrounded by a Brich tree forest. This forest will have lots of bird houses, bird feeders and butterfly hotels handing from the trees, inviting wildlife into this space. There will also be three hedgehog hotels placed in this area. I can picture the client reading a book on the sofa, listening to the chirping birds, enjoying the bubbling of the water feature, and being completely hidden and disconnected to the rest of the site. This space will be an area of tranquility and peace, a space to unwind and de-stress.

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Naturalizing water feature

 

The recirculating water feature will be made to look like a small river. The small pond at the end of the river will have the deck slightly overhanging to merge the water and the deck. Different sizes of stones will be used to edge the water feature and naturalize it. The flow of the water feature will be soft and the edges slopped so wildlife can get to and out of the water easily, preventing any drowning.

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Vegetable delight

 

Taking the next mowed pathway from this circular area will take you to the small raised vegetable bed. This is against a South facing wall so will receive fantastic sunlight, so the vegetables will really thrive!

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Winter colour

 

The south boundary is also lined with evergreen trees which will help to reduce the prevailing winds, and enclose the site, while screening the neighbors. In front of these trees is a line of dogwood which will be under planted with bulbs, so in winter the red steams will contrast well with the colourful bulbs.

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The journey

 

This mowed grass path will continue towards a fork which takes you back to the driveway, or to the shed and compositing bays.

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Vivid colour

 

The colour scheme of the garden will be terracotta’s, oats, purples, and greens. These contrasting colours are going to look absolutely incredible and rich, making the garden really interesting.

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Design decisions

 

I chose to lift the macadam driveway and replace it with permeable concrete pavers with grass growing through; this will naturalize the mowed grass path well and will ensure the entire site works as one. This driveway is a much more environmentally friendly and removes the need for extra drainage.

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I chose to use gravel between the fence and the garage because this allows for the client to get to the roses easily when they need to be pruned, as well as gaining access to the water butt. The garage gutter will be used to collect rainwater in a water butt; this water can be used for the vegetable bed, or to fill the water feature.

Focal point garden art

 

The garden art will be corten steel birds; these will be place just in front of the rose bushes against the rear garden fence. This will make the space feel larger as it draws your attention to the rear end of the garden. I will also include poppy head corten steel garden art on either side of the river and on either side of the pergola leading to the deck. This material works well with the colour scheme of the space, and will create interest and texture in the flowerbeds.

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Enchanting escape

 

This garden will be incredibly attractive, and filled with wildlife bringing a phenomenal feeling of being in an exotic paradise.

 

Design and write up by Kim Graham