So here is our second edition of contemporary gardens. Another fascinating project from the London garden design company: Earth Designs. Don't forget to visit their blog that features up to date information about current projects they are working on as well as useful advice. Now let's take a look at this week's design..
Client's needs
"This plot was a long urban garden and was almost completely bare, but for two large, established trees. The client was attempting to construct a pond in the near right corner using green slate boulders as decoration, and requested that this should be included in the design.
The interior of the house had a modern, contemporary feel fused with Victorian architecture. As the patio doors lead directly from the kitchen/diner into the garden, the garden becomes very much an extension of the house - as such the style of the interiorwas of particular consideration in the design the exterior space."
Before/During
Solution
"The final design created a low maintenance garden with a simple and contemporary feel. The area directly behind the house was laid with decking, running half way down the left side of the space. New wooden fences, to replace the existing worn out wire fences, were erected down the right of the garden, onto which a selection of clematis and everlasting sweet peas were trained.
The main area of the garden consisted of a tapered, oval shaped lawn, encircled by a raised bed following the same shape as the lawn. A smaller, tapered oval raised bed in the middle of the lawn served to slightly mask the bottom of the garden, breaking up the space and helping to create a sense of intrigue.
The simplicity of the borders was echoed in the planting, which consisted of white flowers and green foliage. Cool, crisp and elegant, a white planting scheme provides an air of harmony and tranquillity, and is well suited to the style of the garden and the interior of the house. An area devoted to graceful architectural ferns helped to accentuate the simplicity of the space and serves to provide a stunning and effective display throughout the year.
Re-designing the layout of the client's existing pond, using state boulders together with a powerful pump to produce an effective waterfall, helped to create a striking water feature. The pond and surrounding area was given life with the addition of water lilies and other aquatic and semi-aquatic plants. A bowed Cedrus libani (ssp.atlantica) 'Glauca', trailing branches in the water, presented the final flourish to the space."
Result
