From the drawing board

I went back to visit my project in London on Friday where I redesigned the terrace area as part of an extensive house renovation project.  It was far too dark to take photographs when I planted the garden back in November so I am very pleased to now be able to share the “after” pictures with you.

It’s difficult to show you what it look liked before because when I carried out the survey the terrace was covered in building materials that were used for the house, but I hope this pictures will give you an idea…

Essentially, the basic layout of the terrace was to remain unchanged, but there were a few major things to address.  The ugly wall on the right hand side of this picture needed to be screened, the inset area at the side of the extension (Left hand side of picture) required some careful consideration and the steps to the lawn needed to be addressed as they just didn’t fit comfortably with the terrace.

The existing York stone paving remained in place, but had to be modified so that it would fit the new design.  I wanted to create a space that was a discrete area in it’s own right, but that was connected to the formality of the house and the informality of the garden.

As you can see it’s quite a transformation, and not only because it’s no longer a building site!  The raised built-in planters provide a barrier from the terrace to the rest of the garden without cutting it off completely.  The planting, when it has had time to mature, will soften the straight edges and connect the terrace to the rest of the garden.

The steps have been made wider with the same dimensions for each, and we have introduced a landing at the bottom.  When steps meet a lawn, it is always better to install paving at the bottom otherwise the grass tends to get worn.  The planting beds at the bottom of the planters soften the look and also connect the two areas to eachother.

As you can see, the ugly walls have been screened with cedar contemporary trellis which also helps to make the terrace area a space in its own right.  In an ideal world the paving would have been changed to something a little more contemproary, but I think the York stone works quite well as a link between the formality of the terrace to the more informal garden beyond it.  Sometimes I am asked to work with clients to help them to improve what they have already and I think this project is a great example of how you can elevate a basic terrace to something really quite special.

I also wanted to show you how the garden looks from inside the house – they’re not show stopping pictures I’m afraid, but I think they’ll give you a good idea of how the garden ties in with the house now.  Because the back of the house is now predominantly glass, it was important to make the garden feel connected with the inside space.  There is also a basic lighting scheme outside which highlights the main structural plants and maintains the link at night.

The area on the right as you look out of the house was dead space before and planning restrictions prevented the extension from meeting the boundary wall.  My clients really wanted to see some greenery in this space so we extended the raised planter and planted some black-stemmed bamboo (physllostachys nigra) which will provide interest all year round.

The only thing left to do now is to source the lounge-style furniture but this will happen in the Spring – we didn’t think there much point in buying the furniture now when my clients won’t be sitting out there.  I’ll be popping back in a couple of months to check on the planting and to ensure that the irrigation has been turned on so I’ll look forward to sharing the pictures after the furniture has arrived.

Just before Christmas I was commissioned to produce a concept design for the front and back gardens of a small period cottage in Wimbledon.  The house is currently in the process of being renovated and because the back garden can only be accessed through the house, I needed to produce the design quickly so that the work in the garden could be carried out before work to the house moved inside. Read more

I paid a last visit to my project in Sutton last week as the hard landscaping elements are now finished.  Because it’s a bit late in the season to plant, we have only been able to put the trees in, but the beds have been prepared ready for the rest of the planting to take place in the Spring. I thought I’d share the pictures I took.  This is the front garden… Read more

I am very excited to announce that I have just launched a “Design Your Own Garden” workshop in conjunction with Melissa Merchant at MakeMe Workshops.  The first one is planned for Saturday 31st March 2012 and will take place at the Medicine Garden in Cobham, Surrey. Read more

I made a site visit to my project in Sutton yesterday and it’s really starting to take shape now… Read more

Last week I went to Thornhayes nursery near Honiton in Devon.  You may think it’s rather a long way to go shopping, but as I source most of the plants for my projects through Forton Nursery (owned by my parents) we often work with growers in the West Country.  I was down visiting anyway so I went with my dad to choose the Acer griseum that I will be planting in my London garden project this week. Read more

I made a site visit to my project in London last week which is starting to come together now.  If you remember, I was asked to redesign the terrace area following a house building project.  We’re now in week 4 of the construction phase of the project and I’m due to go in next week to plant – fingers crossed this mild weather continues for a bit longer! Read more

You may remember me blogging about this project a while ago when I shared the final design and the planting design with you.  The construction phase of the project started last week and I made my first site visit yesterday to check on progress. Read more

If you read my blog post on Tuesday then you’ll know a little bit about this project already – a day in Leeds last Friday to work on a “Garden Designer in Your Home” project.  Today I ‘m going to talk to you about the process we went through to develop the design and of course show you the final drawings and concept sketches. Read more

A few weeks ago I was contacted by a couple in Leeds.  Although they had recently had their garden redesigned they just didn’t feel that the design reflected the brief they had given.  They decided that the best course of action was to try and work through a new design themselves but just didn’t know where to start.  During an internet search for paving, they stumbled across my blog and website and realised quite quickly that I am very passionate about working with my clients to create a garden that fits in with their personal style and requirements. Read more