MOST garden enquiries are from customers who have an existing garden, which is useable but not aesthetically pleasing, or one which is difficult to use. In a recent project for a young couple, we were called out to their terraced garden in Clifton.
The garden was on a south-facing hill with lovely views across south Bristol. Access from the house was via French doors, on to a small lower patio. Turning left, three timber steps led up to a small, very shaky deck. Turning right, three more steps led up to the main garden, which was also decking. This had been laid directly on to a soil base and was beginning to rot. This garden needed help – functionally and aesthetically. After initial discussions it was decided to replace the main deck with an Indian sandstone patio and to include a raised bed to the far wall. The bed retainer is made from solid French oak sleepers which provide an eight-inch wide seat along the rear of the new patio, with planting behind. This bed wraps around the corner, making a permanent sitting spot available at any time of year. Next to the new patio are two smaller planters. The lower one is for herbs, which can be picked directly from the kitchen level. The upper planter is too shady for herbs, so has small shade-tolerant plants to soften the patio edge. In the original design we had to find a space for storing two bikes. These had been sitting on the small intermediate deck, which was not the best place, as access from the garden is by a side gate approached at the top of a steep flight of steps. We decided to make a small tiled shelter for the bikes, which was built on the upper level just to the left of the side gate. To give access to the shed for bikes we designed a counterbalanced drawbridge, which flaps down across the steep steps giving temporary access to the shed. Once installed, the drawbridge is raised, shutting in the bikes and giving access again to the steps down into the garden. The front of the shed was covered with a close mesh timber trellis, with Perspex sheeting behind to keep out the rain. A timber planter at the foot of the bike shed gives a place for climbers to cover the trellis. The rest of the planting was focused on summer colour interest and flowers to help attract wildlife, which was of particular interest to Ross. Another important detail of the brief was that Alice was expecting her first child, which meant a quick juggling of our schedule so we would be able to finish the garden well before the due date. We managed it, and I am happy to say that, on my recent follow-up visit this week, I was delighted to meet baby Jago.
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Developers are beginning to realise that building interesting homes, set within a varied landscape, will sell better than cheap standard boxes plonked in rows; the outdoor spaces between new houses are finally being given more thought. Cheswick Village is a large new housing development set just behind the MoD offices in Filton. Some features, including a small stream, have been retained and green space has been generously allocated throughout the scheme.
In this garden at Cheswick Village, the ground tapers towards the rear. There are no overlooking houses, but a four-storey block does have a view over the garden from a respectful distance. We decided to build an octagonal deck to the rear of the garden, which could be surrounded by plants, including two trees, to give extra privacy. This private jungle is accessed along a curved path, which creates a large planting bed on the sunny side of the garden. Here we planted small shrubs to the rear, to keep some winter interest, and a variety of herbaceous perennial plants, to give a colourful summer display of flowering plants. Through this curved bed, a narrow path leads to a small paved semicircle, with just enough room for a bench, which gets the benefit of sun throughout the day. The fan pergola overhead will support a wisteria sinensis, which helps to screen the block of flats from the main patio. The patio supplied with the house was not quite large enough and so it was extended with matching slabs and trimmed with a contrasting charcoal curved brick edge. This brick was also used to edge the new paving and paths in the rest of the garden, which helps to unite the existing patio with the new paving. The paths were filled with tumbled Raj Blend Indian sandstone pavers. Our clients were keen to keep their bikes undercover. We decided on a custom-built shed, with double doors for easy access, and a mono pitch roof directing rainwater to a butt at the side of the shed, which is screened by a trellis. At the other end of the shed there is a similar screened area for the bins and recycling boxes. A small solar-powered water feature is set among pebbles and boulders at the front of the trellis. Although house builders have begun to think more creatively about the outdoor spaces between houses, the state of the soil left behind after building is still an issue. In this garden, for example, only a thin layer of topsoil was sprinkled on top of a sticky clay base. Having built the main structures in the garden, the soil needed immediate attention, so we dug out all the planting areas and replaced the top 100mm with fresh topsoil to give the plants a chance. Now planted and with plenty of added organic matter, the garden is all set up for the return of the growing season next year. To contact Tom Phillips at All Garden Designs, call 0117 951 1923, 07739456765, or visit www.allgardendesigns.co.uk. A one-man business can be run from home, but rather than sacrifice the spare room, Tom Phillips, from Bristol- based All Garden Design, suggests a garden office. There has been a significant rise in the number of people working from home over the last decade. Whether it’s an alternative to office work, or running a business from home, the kitchen table is not a realistic solution. A spare room is a better alternative, but for homes without this option a garden office is a good way forward.
The big advantage of a garden office space is its detachment from the house. Being able to leave your home to get to your workplace is a habit hardwired into our psychology. Even the short walk to the bottom of the garden helps differentiate home from work. A phone line can be set up and a wi-fi unit can provide internet access. In this garden, the office takes up a shady corner. This leaves the sunny side of the garden for the main seating area. The office design reflects the octagonal central patio and consists of a main central workspace with two smaller "wings" for storage. Because it faces north, the rear roof pitch is glazed to let sunlight in. The reclaimed tile roof and stained glass windows combine with rough sawn cladding to give a natural feel to the front facade. Meanwhile, the timber frame allows for the inclusion of insulation and internal cladding incorporates power points and phone lines. We designed a pond in front of the office, which brings water right up to the front doors and, by way of a slender timber bridge, a feeling of calm detachment from the main garden is created. A small clay water spout sends water along a narrow rill running around the central paved octagon which spills into a triangular pool close to the main decking area. The water flows both sides of a triangular island step which gives access to the central patio from the lower decking area near the house. The result is a calm, well-lit space which can be open to the garden during the summer months and, if insulated, can provide a cosy winter bolt hole. It’s even possible to include a wood-burning stove. If well designed, a space to work in the garden can be minimal. In this second garden, the workspace has been created within an area of 2m x 2m and replaced an old shrub which was struggling for light. An office by day, its hinged desk and folding chairs can be tidied away later in the day to create a summerhouse. The windows are reclaimed Victorian sashes which have been rehung with swivel hinges and sash cord counterweights to give ample ventilation as well as opening up the space to the garden. In this case, light has been let in through a central roof lantern as well as triangular lights which catch the morning and evening sun. http://www.allgardendesigns.co.uk/ Storage is a challenge which haunts us at every stage of life. We start early with the need to store games, toys and other childish things. Later, add surfboards, skateboards, and bikes. If children come into our lives we try to shed a few things, usually unsuccessfully, while taking on the extra challenge of buggies, bike carriers and, yes, finally coming back full circle to games toys and other childish things! Whichever stage you are at there is never quite enough space. Where does it all go? Cupboards and clever storage solutions from Scandinavia can help. The attic is another option, if it hasn’t been converted. Then there’s always the cupboard under the stairs. One last resort is the garden shed. If you haven’t taken this over for one of the classic uses, such as writing or thinking space or I-just-want-to-be-alone space, then this can be a realistic option. Sheds come in all sizes and shapes. If you don’t have one already I would say that even the smallest garden has space to fit one in. We design and build sheds specifically to fit into small or awkward spaces. Rather than accepting a standard shape, which doesn’t quite fit, a bespoke shed can be arranged to suit the confines of a tight corner without ruining the space. A dark corner of the garden is a good position for a shed. This first example is a combination of writing space and storage space. The main shed sits in a shady corner. The roof behind is glazed to let light into the shed. The side wings are easily accessed from the main shed and give ample storage options. Attached to the side is a small glass bike store (main image). The idea here is to use the space for bike storage during the winter, but to convert to a greenhouse in the spring to raise plants for the garden. In the second example (inset), we made a robust shed with double doors for easy access for bikes. We also glazed the corner to allow sun into the space, which could then be used as a summer house, with the doors closed, or as a shady shelter, with the doors thrown open in the summer. The bench lives outside under a pergola when the bikes are in winter storage. The options for storage are limited only by your imagination. Recently a customer wanted storage for tools, bikes and garden furniture. The available space was long and thin. They wanted three separate sheds joined together to look like beach huts. Great idea. We looked for some standard units online, but decided that we would make the sheds from scratch, as the units available didn’t come in useful sizes. Once finished, the customer got out her paintbrush and using coloured woodstains gave each beach hut an individual treatment. The final result was cheerful as well as functional. http://www.allgardendesigns.co.uk/ 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. As landscapers, we get to see a range of gardens: flat ones and sloping ones, overgrown jungles and meticulously manicured havens. Most large gardens we visit are outside Bristol, but this one is in the heart of Clifton and, for a city garden, it is one of the more spacious. Set on a steep slope, it originally tumbled down towards the house, with a minimal amount of level space outside the back door. The first job was to excavate soil away from this area in order to create a decent patio. Then we built curved stone retaining walls, using stone salvaged from the garden, to hold back the excavated soil. The small steps pictured far right allow access to this area from the back door. The surface chosen for the patio comprised old paving slabs also reclaimed from the original garden.
Next, we had to make a pathway up to the main part of the garden, which wasn’t as easy as it sounds since one of the main challenges in restructuring this space was the problem of transferring materials in and out of the garden, and particularly up and down the slope. A mini digger is an essential tool when there is a lot of digging to be done, and we had to temporarily flatten out the slope in order to get the machine in and up the slope. We started with stone steps, which lead up from the lower patio. At the top of the steps we created a curved landing and from there we built a spiral flight of sleeper steps, which wind around a central stone “drum”. The sleeper steps turn up through the steepest part of the garden, finishing at the upper lawn. The spiral shape allows the steps to rise through the garden without taking up too much valuable space and also present a wide entrance to the grass. The stone drum was designed as a sandpit for the kids, which can be easily converted into a planter when they get older. The upper lawn level was overgrown and had to be cleared. Any valuable plants were moved to side beds, then the area was levelled and turfed. This provides a good play area and, to complement this, we designed a small raised cabin in the rear corner of the garden, pictured above. Built to a small scale, with stable doors and small lookout windows, this makes a great hideaway for children and, at a pinch, can even be used by parents, eager for their own cabin-in-the-woods bolt hole. Further seating is provided with a bench set on a bark area with a pergola overhead, which doubles up as climbing frame. Finally, another patio was built to the left of the grass behind existing mature shrubs. When designing a garden on this sort of gradient, it is important not to fight the natural slope. With clever design tricks, it is possible to create decent, useable spaces within a cohesive garden design. Sometimes a garden that has fallen into disrepair may need a complete overhaul to revive it. However, it doesn’t always take such a drastic move – a few smaller changes can reap great rewards in rejuvenating the space. The garden featured here is a case in point: it needed some renovation to bring it back to life. The rear gate leads through a hole in the hedge on to a path, which directly overlooks Redland station. During the day it is possible to glimpse the trains pulling to a halt at the platform. Apart from this, the garden is very peaceful and also well sheltered. However, it had become run down and the structure of retaining beds was crumbling. The side beds were ill defined and the garden was semi-shaded due to the large rear hedge. Also the materials used to build the small retaining walls were a mixture of broken concrete and stone. The stone was laid dry and had lost the will to stand up! Mixed with broken concrete slabs, it looked a mess. Once we had taken down the walls and sifted out the concrete, we decided to reuse the stone, which was in good condition. Putting in sound footings, we relaid the stone using mortar placed to the rear of the wall, leaving the front face free of cement. This gives the impression of a drystone wall, but adds the strength we needed to support the next layer. Over the top of the stone we fixed oak sleepers to complete the walls. In the original garden, a set of concrete steps ran through to the rear gate. We removed these and combined the oak sleeper cappings to form a flight of oak steps. The sleepers at ground level run around the sides of the garden to form small raised planters. This allowed the beds to be topped up with fresh soil. It also lifts the plants up a little closer to the precious light. Around the edges of the garden we laid a stepping stone path. This gives dry access to the rear gate and also to the side beds, which helps with easy maintenance. The grass was levelled and returfed. Letting the grass grow between the slabs softens their impact. The house has a large picture window overlooking the garden from the lounge. Our client wanted to retain that view, but liked the idea of some planting close to the house to act as a filter through which to view the main garden. We built an oak raised planter under the window to take tall perennials and grasses. The overall aim of the design was to give the garden a softer feel and a more unified look. The combination of stone and wood has helped to give the structure an organic feel. By using the oak to wrap around the garden and also to act as steps, the use of one natural material sets a theme, and helps to pull the garden together. http://www.allgardendesigns.co.uk/ Shady areas in town gardens are a natural result of living in an urban environment. Every garden will have some shade, caused by fences, garden buildings, or trees. Depending on which way the garden faces, the house can cast shadow for a large part of the day, too, and, with the recent hot weather, shade has become an important part of enjoying the garden. Plants come with varying appetites for sun or shade. Some plants will thrive in a semi-shady bed given the right conditions. In the garden featured here, the tendency is for dry shade under the canopy of a beech tree.
Digging in reasonable amounts of compost or well rotted manure helps to retain any moisture in the bed, as well as feeding the plants. In dry conditions it is only fair to water the plants regularly in the warmer months. If this is something you are unable to stick to, a simple irrigation run can be installed and, with a battery-powered timer, can be set to water once or twice a day. The added advantage of this set-up is that it can be set to water when you are on holiday. This garden in Redland rests on the side of a hill facing due south, so you might expect it’s a very sunny garden. However, lower down the slope, a 100-year-old beech tree looms large and, during the summer months, casts a considerable amount of shade on to the garden during the middle of the day. During the morning and evening, however, the sun does get in and a patio up near the house takes advantage of the setting sun. From this existing feature, we decided to create a gently sloping set of curved steps, leading down and round to a lower patio sitting under the canopy of the beech tree. As the path drops down, we created a “landing” halfway down the steps in order to accommodate a small bench. This gets the benefit of morning sun. The path is built using beech sleepers and paving slabs matching the main patio. We also used beach cobblestones to fill the triangular spaces between the wood and the paving. The lower patio had to be built up to a reasonable level and is paved with a mixture of reclaimed terracotta tiles and grey stone paving slabs. Although Indian sandstone has become the material of choice in recent years, the paving slabs we used here were a better match for the reclaimed tiles. A small curved lawn leads off the main patio and a stepped retaining wall forms a curved and raised bed that wraps around three sides. The choice of plants for shaded areas is critical. There are plenty of plants that will do well in shade, so choose carefully, build up slowly and you can develop a border of healthy, happy plants that will give you pleasure for many years to come. A good reference for choosing plants is The Dry Garden, by Beth Chatto. As landscapers, we get to see a range of gardens: flat ones and sloping ones, overgrown jungles and meticulously manicured havens. Most large gardens we visit are outside Bristol, but this one is in the heart of Clifton and, for a city garden, it is one of the more spacious. Set on a steep slope, it originally tumbled down towards the house, with a minimal amount of level space outside the back door. The first job was to excavate soil away from this area in order to create a decent patio. Then we built curved stone retaining walls, using stone salvaged from the garden, to hold back the excavated soil.
The small steps pictured far right allow access to this area from the back door. The surface chosen for the patio comprised old paving slabs also reclaimed from the original garden. Next, we had to make a pathway up to the main part of the garden, which wasn’t as easy as it sounds since one of the main challenges in restructuring this space was the problem of transferring materials in and out of the garden, and particularly up and down the slope. A mini digger is an essential tool when there is a lot of digging to be done, and we had to temporarily flatten out the slope in order to get the machine in and up the slope. We started with stone steps, which lead up from the lower patio. At the top of the steps we created a curved landing and from there we built a spiral flight of sleeper steps, which wind around a central stone “drum”. The sleeper steps turn up through the steepest part of the garden, finishing at the upper lawn. The spiral shape allows the steps to rise through the garden without taking up too much valuable space and also present a wide entrance to the grass. The stone drum was designed as a sandpit for the kids, which can be easily converted into a planter when they get older. The upper lawn level was overgrown and had to be cleared. Any valuable plants were moved to side beds, then the area was levelled and turfed. This provides a good play area and, to complement this, we designed a small raised cabin in the rear corner of the garden, pictured above. Built to a small scale, with stable doors and small lookout windows, this makes a great hideaway for children and, at a pinch, can even be used by parents, eager for their own cabin-in-the-woods bolt hole. Further seating is provided with a bench set on a bark area with a pergola overhead, which doubles up as climbing frame. Finally, another patio was built to the left of the grass behind existing mature shrubs. When designing a garden on this sort of gradient, it is important not to fight the natural slope. With clever design tricks, it is possible to create decent, useable spaces within a cohesive garden design. http://www.allgardendesigns.co.uk/ At this time of the year, with short daytime, we are all crying out for more light and colour in our lives. The days are getting longer now, but it seems to happen at a grindingly slow pace. When the sun is out, the low-angled light can have a wonderful effect, lighting up any berried plants, such as rose hips and crab apple crops. The autumn leaves are long gone and, apart from the premature appearance of some early blossoms because of the mild weather, we will have to wait till February or March for some proper spring growth. However, while we wait for the blue sky and new green shoots to arrive, there are things you can do to brighten up the garden at this time of year. Paint is a wonderful and underused product outdoors. It is also potentially an easily abused medium if its use is not properly thought through.
Colour fashions will come and go, but, with a combination of planting and applied colours, you can add life to a dull corner. Wood stain is now available in a spectrum of colours and can be applied to any timber structure in the garden. My advice would be to keep it subtle and resist the temptation to apply deep blue to all your fences. Small splashes of colour work far more effectively. A small pergola or arch will take stain well and, even with a clematis or wisteria to mask the full effect, you’ll still see glimpses of the underlying colour as the winter sun catches it. An old wall which may be beyond rescue can be smartened up with a splash of masonry paint, which can help set off anything planted in front. In this garden, above, an old and badly constructed block wall was painted terracotta red. To contrast with this, the new walls retaining the lower terraces were painted two different shades of blue. Existing Victorian terracotta tiles were used to cap the walls in order to tie in with the rear wall. This type of rendered block wall is a cheap method of retaining soil in a sloping garden and, with the judicial use of paint, can add colour and light to a semi shady area. Another method to cheer up a dark corner is to use mosaics. In this example, above right, mosaics were used to decorate four corners of a town courtyard garden. With the themes of earth, fire, water and air, we included the mosaics along with glass brick lighting and a grid of Victorian paving framing stone slabs. In this case, the customers were a couple who were visually impaired and the paving pattern and lighting helped them navigate the space as well as enjoy added colour. So, keep it simple, keep it light and you can brush away those deep winter blues. http://www.allgardendesigns.co.uk/ |
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