The Original Garden
I was asked to redesign this back garden of a town house in Hull. The rear of the house opened up into a long and quite thin garden via some lovely patio doors. There was already a small patio in place and an area of grass which the customer wished to retain but the rear of the garden was bare with just earth and the surrounding walls.
The Basics
The walls surrounding the garden were not suitable so the customer hired a builder to reconstruct these and also lay a base for a garden shed. A new shed was purchased and erected and placed as part of the redesign.
The Redesign
The design for this garden is very simple but effective. The customer wanted to retain lawn in the garden and the existing planting borders that were already in situ. I therefore extended the existing brick edged borders in a curved shape right around the perimeter of the garden in a traditional cottage garden style. To section the garden into a couple of different zones, I added an archway and planting either side of this which would make the rear of the garden feel private and secluded. There is a nook at the end with a bench seat. Lastly I wished to also separate the patio from the lawn and did this by introducing long planting containers. A staggered path runs the length of the long narrow garden inviting the visitor to explore.
The Build
The build was undertaken over winter and I became involved again in the spring when it was suitable for planting up the garden. Greensway Landscapes Hull undertook the work for the customer and did a great job edging the borders, laying new turf, sinking the stepping stone pathway into the new grass , creating the borders either side of the archway and setting in the arch and bench.
Time For Planting!
Once the hard landscaping was complete and the weather allowed it was time for planting up the new sections of the garden. Planting was all supplied by Henley’s Nurseries at Market Weighton. Planting comprised of a mixture of climbing plants for the perimeter fencing, back wall and archway such as Clematis montana and Pyracantha and hardy flowering shrubs such as Hydrangea, Choisya and Ceonothus. Photinia was used as a hedging plant to separate the sections of the garden and hardy perennials, ground cover plants and small grasses were also introduced which would spread and cover the bare soil in the season to come. The long planters were filled with evergreen Buxus sempervirens, Carex grasses and Lavandula.
The Completed Garden
The completed garden certainly looks a lot different to the first time I visited. The bare earth space has been transformed into an enveloping cottage garden with a beautiful central lawn and winding path and decorative archway. The customers will be able to relax on the patio and enjoy the peaceful surroundings and the wildlife that the planting should attract to the garden. The planting itself will fill out and flourish year on year.
