projects
Owen's secret wildflower garden
I was introduced to Owen by another customer, and we found common ground with our west and southwest Wales upbringing. Owen was keen to bring something of his family garden to the project with fruit trees and blackcurrant bushes, and I wanted to pay respects to the Pembrokeshire costal path with its impressive geology and abundance of wildflowers. The theme was set and a footpath stile was put in place, with the main landscaping being completed in the first early summer. The garden evolved over a few years to focus on the lower terrace. The wildflowers took nurturing to achieve seasonal interest, and there were wood anemones under the apple tree in the spring and columbines and foxgloves in the summer. We added further practicalities of a small seated area; a limestone patio sitting on a dry-stone wall. Sometimes a hammock was strung between the wisteria-laden pergolas, along with the later addition of a climbing rose; a canopy to enclose a countryside sanctuary.
Harvest stepping stones
Flavia and Shaun had my details from a small job I did for them a few years ago. Flavia was keen on a dry, Mediterranean garden but unsure how to configure stepping stones and beds into the design, and Shaun liked the idea of multiple seating areas. One thing for certain was a pergola for the established wisteria. The surrounding fence boundary had a slightly angled aspect which I felt the need to run with as the frame for the pergola. I changed the shorter existing fence posts for longer ones, integrating the fence and softening the boundary. My design changed the suggested straight lines into curves, keeping the flow of energy within the garden. With further discussion and good suggestions from the client, the plan was kept rigid through the stepping stones and planting, where some intuitive, artistic licence came into play to balance and tie in all the elements.
Slate strata
Lucy approached me through a friend. Most of her old paving had become loose and so began a process of reinvention. We soon decided on the black slate and found the substantial thickness of the stepped bullnoses very appealing. I discovered a material I hadn’t previously used: slate palisades. I was instantly excited by its sculptural potential, as you could split it into smaller pieces whilst still retaining the grain of the stone. The top steps were built first, assembling the palisades at angles to indicate quarried or eroded rock formations as we went up. The kitchen step would be at the top of the formation and consequently have a more jagged nature. It was unusual and we lived with it over Christmas before deciding we would do the garden, retaining terraces in the same style.
Spiralled dry stone wall
I spent a while on Tony’s next door neighbour's garden, where we became acquainted. A year later when I got the call, it was easy to pick up the thread being familiar with his existing plants and olive trees. The planting scheme was to remain Mediterranean with low maintenance borders. Two varieties of euphorbia were introduced, alongside an established magnolia and relocated camellia. Smaller olive trees and tree ferns were moved to more suitable locations. The ground cover was largely made up of introduced wildflower plugs. The objective: various shades of green with a subtle splash of colour. The reclaimed Yorkstone walling was a must and became the main feature. The height of the bank to the left enabled for some interesting planting; lavender and hellebores, normally set-in low-level beds, now had their colours seen at eye level. The stones were perfectly angled as they spiralled around the garden to meet ground level at the base of the large olive tree.