Portfolio

These gardens will give you a taste of what can be achieved:

Large country gardens         A hillside garden with views         A garden in the heart of the Forest

Medium-sized gardens         A new home on a sloping site         A garden for low maintenance

Courtyard gardens         A tiny triangular space         Relaxed family living

Water in the garden

Wildlife

Mosaic

 

A hillside garden with views   A priority here was to create some level spaces from the sloping site. The new terrace, surfaced with panels of exposed aggregate concrete, relates to the house elevation and provides separate areas for dining and quiet relaxation.   The simple rectangular lawn acts as a quiet foreground to the views, and helps to anchor the house onto the site. Hedges are a feature of the landscape, brought into the garden using yew, box, holly and beech.   The patterns of orchards and traces of bygone peoples are also themes that are worked into the layout.   Textures are important in the plantings, giving an ever-changing effect through the year.

 
 
 

A garden in the heart of the Forest   The clients here wanted a secluded retreat from their busy lives - a garden to explore on their evening stroll, a garden to share with friends. The house itself has grown piecemeal over many years and a broad curved terrace helps to unify it with the informal garden and surroundings, as well as providing ample space for entertaining. There are many paths around the garden, and corners to discover: A reflective pool; an enclosed "Peace Garden" where you can be surrounded by perfume and flowers; a calm entrance garden of rocks and moss. New woodland plantings will eventually create shady walks, merging with the enveloping forest.

 

A new home on a sloping site   Developers here left the new owners with a bare slab of unpromising clay. They needed to carve out level spaces for patio and lawn, and create something green and welcoming. Retaining walls were needed, and provided the opportunity for a raised pool. The awkward slope is negotiated by a curving path, with a curving stepped pergola overhead. The smooth oval shape of the lawn makes the most of the small space while minimising earth moving.   A few years on, and plants are established, creating a rich tapestry of interest.

 
 
 

A garden for low maintenance   Minimal maintenance was a priority here, together with a mediterranean feel to go with the owners collection of cretan terra cotta pots. There is no lawn, the balance of open space with planting being achieved with gravel and paving.   Weed-suppressing fabric has been used under the gravel mulch. A timber beamed enclosure gives form to the central garden space, framing a slate water table.   Planting has a mediterranean feel too - reminiscent of scented rock maquis - and well suited to the stony cotswold soils.

 

A tiny triangular space   This derelict plot was the view from the conference room of a local business's office. The transformation allowed them to use it as a space for entertaining clients or eating a relaxed lunch, as well as drastically improving the outlook. Sleepers and banded paving draw on a railway there, inspired by the restored steam line just over the wall. The pattern and spacing of the paving, and shapes of raised beds, help to detract from the awkward triangular shape.

 
 
 

Relaxed family living   This courtyard, beside a converted mill in the rolling Welsh hills, has to cater for outdoor dining and relaxation for all the family - including playspace for the children, growing a few fresh salad vegetables for the table, and parking several cars.   Original flagstones have been relaid and the pattern extended with granite setts. A glimpsed view is framed by a raised water feature. Informal planting laps onto the gravel drive, helping to integrate it into the garden.

 
 

Back to Top of page

 

Water in the garden   Gushing, splashing, rippling, reflecting, dancing or tranquil - water can bring life to the garden.

 

Wildlife   What is a garden without birdsong and the humming of bees? Their basic needs (water, food and shelter) are easily incorporated into gardens of any style and any location - wild creatures are oblivious to garden fashion! Designing with wildlife in mind has become second nature for me.

 

Mosaic   Mosaics are a speciality.   They are made to commission and can be used as paving inserts, wall plaques, etc.

 
 

Back to Top of page