astro garden - part 5: the finished garden

Once the plants were in and settled, the syntethic lawn was laid by a professional company.  And then the  garden was finally complete.






And what a difference!  Where there was once a cramped patio and shed shaded by overgrown trees and shrubs, there is now clean open space.  The lollipop photinia red robins are doing their job of blocking out views of the neigbouring houses without over crowding the space.  With some careful pruning, they will spread out to give complete cover across the back wall above trellis level.





The shed will become obscured by the planting in the deep bed in front of it and will eventually dissappear - exactly where garden sheds should be - out of view!





While the clients were a little dubious about the idea of a 'syntethic lawn', they were really pleased with the  lawn when it was in place as  is so life like.  There is a good mix of colour in the turf which means it doesn't look fake.


Syntethic lawns are not for everyone, but work really well where there is heavy traffic from childrens' play or football etc or anywhere where a lawn is not going to get a chance to grow and be maintained.





The garden is now filled with a mix of smaller, low mainteance planting.  Ferns, phormiums, vebernum are among the plants that provide structre, colour and interest to even the shadier side of the garden.





The two additional lollipop photina red robins in front of the shded provide additional screening from adjoining properties.  Bark muclhing gives the planting bed a finished feel.





The buff granite patio is smart and provides the right amount of space for relaxing, dining or entertaining while still leaving plenty of space for planting and lawn.  The planting bed behind the patio gives it an enclosed private feel.





The bespoke narrow horizontal trellis affords great privacy while those lollipop photinia red robins break the trellis at just the right height to give even greater privacy from first floor windows of neighbouring houses.

All in all, both we and the clients were very pleased with the final result in this garden.  The parents get a gorgeous, modern garden in which to relax that's maintenance-free for three years, while the boys get an indestructable surface onwhich to play which looks like the perfect lawn all year round and without the grass cutting.

astro garden - part 4: the planting

The planting stage of the garden begins.  In this case it was delayed a little because of torrential rain.  As you can see from the photogrpahs not all planting takes place in dry weather!





When plants arrive on site they are placed into the appropriate areas around the garden.  Already the weeping contoneaster grouped in five start to bring height and interest to the garden and put the new trellis in perspective.




The heads of the 3m tall standard photinia trees are just out of shot but are finally in situ but only after a lot of heavy lifting. Tall slender Italian cypresses punctuate the border to the rear of the patio. These needle like conifers hold a steady shape and do not get bushy.





Apart from the very big specimen trees, nothing is planted into the ground at this stage. This allows us to move plants within their beds to they have their optimum position within the overall planting scheme.





Finally, with all plants placed in  their final position and despite the downpours, we are ready to get planting.  The space in front of the granite patio is left ready for the synthetic turf.  We waited until all the planting and mulching had been done before we laid it as it would have got a bit muddy (to say the least)





Plants ready for planting in front of relocated shed.  The upright bay will eventually form an evergreen screen with the weeping contoneaster and block the shed completely. Bags of bark await spreading (and a dry day).





All the plants are planted in this area apart from two additional specimen photinia trees.  The clients like the other three so much they decided to add another two!





Finally, all the planting is done and the beds have been mulched.  Bark mulch makes beds look a lot cleaner and sharper while there is space between new plants.  It also helps keep weeds down thereby reducing maintenance. It protects roots in winter and retains water in summer.

astro garden - part 3: construction

Let the great work begin!  Construction began in earnest on our astro turf garden.





In some gardens, there is very little we can salvage, so it has to be a scorched earth policy.  A certain portion of budget must be allocated to simply clearing the site before we can start building it up again.





The shed (on the left) was being retained and moved, so it had to sit in the middle of the site while we worked around it.  Where possible, we use a mini digger to clear the site.  It can do the work of three men in one day so keeps the clearance costs down.





Work proceeds apace on bespoke horizontal  trellis and the buff granite patio.





With the shed relocated to its new home, the granite patio is then completed. Work  now starts on preparing the soil for planting. All roots and stumps need to be removed and with a garden like this one - that's a lot of roots.





The bespoke narrow horitzonal trellis is finished and already affords privacy from neighbouring gardens.  The planting bed behind the patio is prepared and made ready to receive its bounty of plants.





This marks an end to the construction phase. The garden is finally ready for the last stage - planting. I will blog about that in the next post.

astro garden - part 2: the design

Remember our cramped suburban garden in need of a complete overhaul?





In developing the best design for any garden we have to balance a number of factors: the clients' requirements, their budget and what is going to work best for the site, given its size, scale and orientation.

Our skills combine to add that certain aesthetic making the garden a beautiful space to look at and be out in, while at the same time, is also practical and workable.




After exploring a number of ideas, we created this deisgn (above).  The look and feel of the extension is linear and modern so we decided to carry these clean lines out into the garden.

Strong rectanglular shapes set the tone for the garden to keep it modern and uncluttered.  These strong lines are softened by carefully chosen plants.

The garden shed would be retained and moved into the opposite, shaded corner. Doing this allows us to create a larger patio area surrounded by mixed specimen trees and plants.

The patio is constructed from granite in lovely soft buttery tones. It looks great all year round - even after it rains.





A large planting bed in front of the shed will mature over about three years obscuring the shed completely.  An artists visualisation usually helps clients see how their garden will look in time.

As the lawn area is small and going to be in constant sporty use, we proposed installing extremely life-like synthetic turf.  This is very durable, pet friendly and will never get worn or bald despite how much table tennis is played by hordes of teenage boys. Best of all, it never needs to be cut!





A bespoke, narrow wooden trellis, attached to the top of the boundary walls, affords plenty of privacy without creating clutter or shade in the garden.  The profiles outlined above help to show the scale and size of this solution. It also illustrates how specimen evergreen trees punctuate the boundary wall.

The clients loved the design.  A budget was settled upon and we were instructed to get to work as soon as our schedule allowed.  A few weeks later work started - which I will blog about in the next post.

astro garden - part 1: the challenge

Late last summer we were asked for ideas to transform this back garden.





The clients had added a large kitchen/dining/living room extension across the back of their house and had lost a good deal of garden.





The existing trees and shrubs afforded some privacy from neighbouring gardens but threw most of the garden into shade - even in the middle of the day. While they were once lovely, small and managable, the shrubs quickly grew out of shape and proportion.





The clients brief stated that the garden needed to provide:

• a lawn area for teenage boys to play football and table tennis (the table is under that cover above!)
• privacy from neighbouring gardens,
• a nice seating area for evening times
• a low mainteance solution

Straightaway we could demonstrate that garden space was not being exploited fully.  For instance the shed was in the sunniest corner, cramping the already small patio area.

After further discussions including what budget they had in mind, they said that they liked our approach and agreed to go to design stage.

A week or so later we carried out a full site survey and a comprehensive digital photo survey and got to work back in the studio.

The next post will outline the design process for this garden.

angled courtyard transformation

We've just finished a courtyard garden in South Co. Dublin.




This project was a particularly difficult site.  It was sitauted to the side of the house, was an awkward shape and fronted onto two streets.  As there was no rear garden, the clients wanted to make this their private outdoor courtyard for relaxing and entertaining.





We created a design that would maxmise the space available to the them and would ensure plenty of plant interest.  We also had to ensure that there would be adequate privacy from the streets outside.





A visualisation helped the clients see in 3D how the finished garden would look.




The garden was finished in early spring, so all the plants you see here are only coming out of their dormant stage.




Raised planter beds rendered in smooth concrete run around the boundary walls and contain all the planting neatly. This maximises the floor space available and provides areas to "perch" upon for extra bar b que guests.  The courtyard was paved in buff granite which gives a sharp contemporary feel.





Built-in red cedar seating, seemingly hung from the rasied planter beds, provides seating for a quick pop out without compromising space.





Fencing constructed on top of the existing wall gives instant privacy.  Tall evergreen Photina hedging will grow thickly and pop-up over the fence to provide additional privacy.  This garden is not over-planted, allowing it to mature over 3-5 years without too much maintenance. The hedging will take one cut per year.





The beds are planted with a mix of ferns, rosemary and other low maintenance plants providing interest and colour even in early spring.  Fatsia japonica will fill out a shady corner with tropical, glossy green leaves.





The fence is discreet when viewed from outside.  As the Photinia grows into one hedge it will mininmise the impact of the fence over time.

diary of a cottage garden - part 5 - the finished garden

After the inital meeting with the clients, the design, construction and planting the garden is finally finished. 

Understandably, they were delighted with the results.





This garden now comes together. It feels inviting. It is visually arresting.


Two paths lead out from a gravel planted bed and meander through scented pergolas and under gorgeous trees.  It is a garden which urges you to go and explore it.





The two pergolas add balance and interest to the garden.  They create a visual width and are enchanting to walk under.  This one, on the right, is planted with jasmine which has a heady scent in the summer and white thornless roses for long lasting scent. A wisteria is planted on each side to add balance and harmony.





The gravel path cuts through a colourfilled planting bed to a small seating area beyond.  The bed is filled with agapanthus, penstemon, phlox, liatris and scabious. The overall colour palatte is hot pink and cool blue. A lovely combination.





This seating area, as per plan, provides exquisite views of the garden back towards the house.  A perfect spot for an early morning cup of coffee and a read of the paper.





Specimen trees are already providing cover from the houses on the adjoining boundary and create an immediate sense of privacy.  As they mature, fill and grow they will help add to the woodland feel of the garden. In autumn their leaves will add a firey flourish.





The gravel area has created an easy transition zone between the brick patio and the garden beyond, planting has softened its affect.  It has been edged in the same brick to link it with the existing patio.





The pergola on the shadier side of the garden has a wonderfully cool feel surrounded by a palette of cool white and green planting. Hydrangea annabelle, white delphinium, spirea bridal wreath and white agapanthus add a monochrome element which acts as a foil to the hot colours opposite.





We strippped away the neglected beds in front of the house and replaced them with one continuous buff gravel bed. We planted it with long flowering china blue Agapanthus, dark purple pittosporum and heavenly scented rosemary.

diary of cottage garden - part 4 - planting

The construction phase of the garden is finished and now we are ready for planting.

For us, planting up a garden really is the fun bit.  While we already have a vision for the finished garden, it's not until the plants go in that most clients really start to see their garden come together.





We source plants from nurseries in Ireland, Italy and the Netherlands.  Each nursery has its own specialities and for a garden such as this one we bring in plants from a number of different nurseries.




For large gardens, there are a considerable number of plants involved.  First we get them all in and sort them in terms of their location in the garden.  We like to use mutiples of the same plant as it gives greater impact.  Just look at those beautiful china blue Agapanthus at the back against the gate just waiting to be planted.





The plants are the put into position as per the planting plan for the garden.  While its important to have a planting plan, we don't always stick rigidly to it. This allows us the scope to move things around 'on the ground' ensuring  plants work to maximum effect.  You can see how that pergola is really starting to come into its own with all those beautiful plants around it.





This garden is really starting to come together now.   All the specimen trees are in place around the boundary and already create a wonderful enclosed feeling.  It is important to keep newly planted plants well watered until they settle in.  The last plants to go in are those in the gravel bed.





Finally, all the plants are in - after a week of exhausting work.  The beds will be finished with a thick layer of bark mulch to keep moisture in and weeds out.  It also makes the space in the beds much more attractive until the plants have grown and filled in some of the gaps.  After this all that is left is to lay gravel and we're finished.


In the next post we will see the finished garden.

creation of a cottage garden - part 3 - construction

The story of the design and creation of our cottage, suburban garden continues.

Once the design and budget has been agreed and signed off we set a start date.  Then we get the big guns in...





First we needed to mark out the site.  This is basically a transfer of what is on paper onto the ground.  All measurements are checked at this point. The inner white line marks out the new shape of the lawn.





There is usually some collateral damage.  We try to work with what is in the garden as much as possible but sometimes we just can't incorporate existing trees or shrubs - in this case an overgrown Elder - into the new scheme.





Similarly, that silver birch in the background has to go as it is planted too near the house. It also casts long shadows over the patio and will eventually get so big it will block views of the garden.  Much as we hate to see a beautiful tree go, it is sometimes the lesser of two evils. We console ourselves with the fact that we are planting appropriate sized trees instead.





Now the site is fully cleared and the eventual shape of the garden, particularly the eliptical lawn, becomes clear.  Next we need to construct paths, pergolas, and the gravel planting area off the existing brick patio.





A couple of days later the pergolas have been constructed.  They look a little strange standing out there on their own but just wait until they are covered in scented flowering jasmine!





Work then begins on the planted gravel area.  First hardcore is put in to provide a solid base for the paving stones and gravel.  You can also see the black aluminum edge has been attached to the side of the lawn.  This will hold in the gravel path and keep a sharp edge and defined shape to the lawn.





The paving has been laid in the gravel bed.  Stepping stones through the lawn continue the path out towards the pergola on the right while not breaking up the lawn into two separate areas.





Finally all the construction work is finished and the garden awaits the magical addition of trees, shrubs and plants. I will expand on this in the next post.

In case you are wondering why we didn't put in the gravel at this stage  it's beacuse the planting phase can be a bit messy.  In order to avoid soil and muck spillages we don't spread gravel until all planting and construction is complete.