Extensive building work had turned a large rural garden into a bare area of mud. The client asked me to design their dream country garden as a family-friendly space that was in keeping with the picturesque rural setting.
- Location: Radwell, Hertfordshire
- Size: 454 sq metres
- Aspect: west-facing, exposed rural setting
- Design time: two weeks
The Brief
When I first visited the property the whole garden area was just mud. The client owned a building firm and they were completing a concrete basement containing a swimming pool, gym, games room and home cinema. I was tasked with designing a dream country garden to sit on top of the basement, which needed to include a large lawn providing a space for the grandchildren to play.
The Design
The design stage took a total of two weeks and involved several meetings with the client to show them samples of landscaping materials and to agree on the planting plan. The aim was to create a natural-looking space that was not too modern.
The main garden was focused around the large lawn that was raised, requiring a retaining wall. Other features included a patio, two paths and a garden room with a seating area, barbecue and access to the new basement. There was also a separate part of the garden and the use of Corten steel pergolas, which has a rusty effect, would be used to link the two areas.
When it came to the planting plan, the client wanted to include Mediterranean plants, combined with plenty of colourful flowering varieties so the garden was in keeping with the countryside setting. There was also a large gap in the rear hedge that needed to be filled. Plants included the following:
- Agapanthus ‘Purple Cloud’
- Echinacea ‘Raspberry Truffles’
- Erigeron karvinskianus
- Geranium ‘Rozanne’
- Hakonochloa macra
- Salvia × sylvestris ‘Schneehügel’
- Verbena bonariensis ‘Lollipop’
- Cupressus sempervirens
- Acer palmatum’Bloodgood’
The client’s building firm undertook the hard landscaping of the garden, while the planting was conducted in phases as parts of the landscaping work were finished. Other considerations included a number of existing trees with tree preservation orders (TPOs), as well as an irrigation system installed by specialists under the new lawn.
To see the finished garden, please visit my portfolio section.
Customer Feedback
“It was an absolute pleasure to work with Catherine, from concept to design and the final planting, Catherine also had to take into consideration landscaping completed by another company and managed to seamlessly tie the areas together. We wouldn’t hesitate to use Flower and Stone again.”
If you have an idea for your dream country garden, contact me today for a consultation.