Insider insight
More expert tips to improve your green space
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT A garden redesign is the chance to not only enhance its aesthetic appeal, but also to resolve any practical issues – problems that can be stressful and expensive down the line. Joshua Sear, architect and landscape designer at Barlow & Barlow tackled a potentially serious flooding problem in a client’s garden. ‘The garden was actually sloping back down towards the house which meant in wet weather it was flooding the property. To resolve this, we dug down two feet overall and levelled the whole garden. This created proper drainage so the garden and house are now flood proof.’
USE EVERGREEN FORMS FOR DRAMA However small or shady your space, you can still use plants to add impact. Landscape designer Emily Erlam has harnessed their architectural forms in her own garden. ‘There is a high proportion of evergreen sculptural plants which means it has good structure all year,’ she says. ‘I’ve added grasses and perennials which grow between these to make change and add to the effect. The shapes of the plants hug the walls and some arch over the seating area to make it feel enclosed, for example, Fuchsia ‘Hawkshead’ – its lovely shape makes it great for a shady space. I love to sit under it, viewing its elegant pendulous flowers.’
LOOK OUT FOR THE VIEW Thinking about the view is all important when you are planning seating outdoors. What will you be seeing and who will be seeing you? It’s worth trying out multiple seating positions, keeping an eye on the resulting vista. There’s a lot to consider: light and shade, day and night, access, and safety. ‘Every piece of outdoor seating is very site specific actually,’ says Scott Maddux of Maddux Creative. ‘In our rooftop garden (p73) we were inwardly focused because we were overlooked on all sides. We wanted the focus to be on the sky above what’s happening on the terrace and details like the blue cushions on the seating subtly reinforce that.’
ATMOSPHERE AND ADVENTURE Instead of creating a tableau of lawn, plants and trees, consider making a garden that rewards exploration and reveals secrets at every turn. Harris Bugg did just that with its small London garden project, removing the lawn, playing with perspective and planting layers. They made ‘stepping stones’ from York stone paving which was saved from the original garden and used to create a winding path which leads to an ‘evening terrace’ in a small clearing in the planting at the rear of the garden. ‘The retaining wall required at the rear was designed as a beautiful York stone bench, to help make the terrace work harder. Scattered with cushions and lit with lanterns, it’s a lovely place to enjoy the last of the day’s sun,’ says Charlotte Harris.
“SCULPTURAL EVERGREEN PLANTS WILL GIVE A GARDEN STRUCTURE ALL YEAR” EMILY ERLAM, landscape designer