When starting a garden from scratch, the question of which style to go for needs to be considered. There is a variety of options and several factors that can affect the final choice. As well as any personal stylistic preferences, the period of the house has a large influence on the design of the garden. In this case, a small 1960s house had been given a modern interior. The garden we designed for it reflected that contemporary style.
The main living area has bifold doors, which open across the back wall leading into the garden. With the doors fully open, the light and air flood in, and the garden becomes part of the living space. Directly outside the doors we laid an L-shaped Indian sandstone terrace, with enough space to take a table and four chairs. We considered a lawn for the remainder, but it is a small area so we decided to go for artificial grass as an alternative, low-maintenance solution.
There is now a very good range of artificial lawns on the market, which are a good alternative to grass, particularly in highly shaded areas where a lawn might struggle. Meanwhile, the whole garden needed new fencing on three sides. We built a low wall to the height of the new, raised planters and attached the fencing to the top of the wall. Along the top of the fence, horizontal battens provide enough privacy while letting in extra light. To the rear of the garden, the series of raised beds wrap around three sides of the space.
Taller, rendered beds capped with black Indian sandstone meet seat-height beds made of oak sleepers. These are intended to provide year-round seating in the main part of the garden. One of the masonry beds has a small water feature with a drilled boulder surrounded by beach-like pebbles, through which we threaded a series of alpine plants. All the planting is illuminated at night to extend the use and enjoyment of the garden. Above the folding glass doors we erected a glass canopy which provides a dry zone, protecting the doors from rain and keeping the weather out when the doors are open.
A small pergola sits at a right angle to the glazed canopy and provides shade on the terrace. The planting is predominantly evergreen to give year-round colour. A small cherry was planted in one corner and in the opposite corner is an olive tree, which the client had kept in a container for a few years and which needed more growing space. On the first floor, a small roof terrace opens out from the main bedroom and overlooks the garden.
Here, we constructed small timber troughs, which run around the perimeter of the terrace, giving the opportunity to introduce plants to soften and screen the space. The main part of the roof garden was then covered with artificial grass while an automatic watering system helps to keep the troughs irrigated during holiday times.
Find out more by visiting All Garden Designs in Bristol.
The main living area has bifold doors, which open across the back wall leading into the garden. With the doors fully open, the light and air flood in, and the garden becomes part of the living space. Directly outside the doors we laid an L-shaped Indian sandstone terrace, with enough space to take a table and four chairs. We considered a lawn for the remainder, but it is a small area so we decided to go for artificial grass as an alternative, low-maintenance solution.
There is now a very good range of artificial lawns on the market, which are a good alternative to grass, particularly in highly shaded areas where a lawn might struggle. Meanwhile, the whole garden needed new fencing on three sides. We built a low wall to the height of the new, raised planters and attached the fencing to the top of the wall. Along the top of the fence, horizontal battens provide enough privacy while letting in extra light. To the rear of the garden, the series of raised beds wrap around three sides of the space.
Taller, rendered beds capped with black Indian sandstone meet seat-height beds made of oak sleepers. These are intended to provide year-round seating in the main part of the garden. One of the masonry beds has a small water feature with a drilled boulder surrounded by beach-like pebbles, through which we threaded a series of alpine plants. All the planting is illuminated at night to extend the use and enjoyment of the garden. Above the folding glass doors we erected a glass canopy which provides a dry zone, protecting the doors from rain and keeping the weather out when the doors are open.
A small pergola sits at a right angle to the glazed canopy and provides shade on the terrace. The planting is predominantly evergreen to give year-round colour. A small cherry was planted in one corner and in the opposite corner is an olive tree, which the client had kept in a container for a few years and which needed more growing space. On the first floor, a small roof terrace opens out from the main bedroom and overlooks the garden.
Here, we constructed small timber troughs, which run around the perimeter of the terrace, giving the opportunity to introduce plants to soften and screen the space. The main part of the roof garden was then covered with artificial grass while an automatic watering system helps to keep the troughs irrigated during holiday times.
Find out more by visiting All Garden Designs in Bristol.