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.

creation of a cottage garden - part 2 - the design

Remember our cottage garden?   Well now we move on to the design stage.


We had a number of further consultations with the clients.  This allowed them time to reflect on their requirements and consider their budget.  It also allowed us to draw out as much information as we could to create a design to suit their needs. This process ensures clients get the garden they want.




Budget was an important discussion point.  We were able to give the clients an idea of the budget that would be required for the size of their garden, the level of hardscaping and the scale of planting required.  We agreed on a budget which would then be reflected in the design.

We always carry out a comprehensive site survey. This process involves assessing the site and measuring it fully. Our survey is also photographic for visual reference later.  We assess the aspect of the site as well and consider how the garden will be used and viewed. This is particularly important from the main windows in the house.  A survey like this takes a lot of time but allows us to get a 'feel' for the garden and importantly it's when our ideas start to formulate!

Next comes the design bit in the studio.  I usually try a number of different ideas but one always takes precedence. It is then eveloved into the final design.  We hope the client likes it.





This 2D proposal is what we created and subsequently presented to the client.
The design evolved around intersecting curves.  The lawn is sculpted into an elipitcal 'S' which gives the space definitioin and focus.  A continuous gravel path weaves its way through planting beds and invites the visitor on a journey right around the garden.

A planted gravel area provides a link between the garden and existing brick patio. Stepping stones lead through this gravel area to the garden beyond.

A pergola on each path is planted with scented climbers. When mature this feature will create balance to the garden. It will also create a sence of mystery and interest.

A seating area in the middle of the planting beds on the right hand side is a perfect spot to catch early morning sunshine and affords views of the garden back towards the house.





Sometimes it is difficult to see what a garden is really going to look like from a plan so we provided the client with an artists visualisation.

The planting is to be soft and pretty. The planting beds, disected by the paths, are heavy with plenty of spring, summer and autumn colour.  There are large shurbs towards the back of the garden and of course, a continuous line of specimen trees planted along the boundary to provide privacy and create an intimate setting.





We often print a photograph of the existing garden and overlay it with a tracing of a sketch of the new design. The clients can then see their new design 'overlaid' on their existing garden.  It all helps to see what it's all going to look like and importantly, what they are getting for their money.

Happily the clients were delighted with our design and were anxious to proceed straightaway.

This completes the design stage of the process.  Our creative input and design fees are payable at this point, allowing clients to consider the design and time vs budget implications.  Our to-scale plans can be executed by any competent landscapeer; however most clients are anxious for us to execute our own design to ensure that we achieve the vision they have seen.

Happily in this case the clients wanted to use our landscaping services and we were instructed to proceed immediately.

In the next post we will look at the construction phase and how you can't make an omlette without breaking some eggs.

creation of a cottage garden - part 1: the challenge

In this series of posts, I want to go through the stages that are involved in designing and creating a garden from client brief, through the design process on to construction and planting and finally, completion.
Here, in part 1 we look at the the challenge we are presented with following our first view of the garden and discussion of the requirements.

In spring 2010 we were comissioned to create a design for a large suburban garden. At over 25 mentres long and 16 metres wide, it was not your average sized garden!





The garden was quite bare and uninteresting with an expanse of lawn and some over pruned shrubs. It felt somewhat cut off from the house and patio area.





A number of large mature trees had been cut down leaving the owners exposed to other houses on their boundary wall. 





The clients wanted a screen along boundary walls to afford privacy from neighbours' houses. The swing and Wendy house had long outlived their usefulness.





A woodland/cottage garden feel was what they had requested as they felt it would reflect the cottage style of their house.

We wanted to create a private sanctuary with a cottage feel. We also felt the garden needed more shape and definition. In essence we had to create a garden that was more accessible from the house and encouraged people to explore.

In the next post I will look at how we apporached a design that satisfied the clients' brief as well as our vision to create a wonderful cottage garden close to the centre of a busy city.