Period Property in St Neots:

The Design brief was to create a light, contemporary space for a professional couple living in a period property in St Neots, Cambridgeshire. They wanted a space to entertain friends that wouldn't need a great deal of maintenance, with space to grow as a family and the surprise of a secret garden! What brought me the most satisfaction with this project is that both clients had different ideas about the garden layout, one liked the idea of winding pathways, whereas the other much preferred clean, contemporary lines. It has been so pleasing to help bring both sets of ideas together in this design. Both clients were delighted with the outcome.

Small, town centre garden.

The brief was to create a contemporary garden with low maintenance planting and a variety of seating.

The couple wanted a garden office, so I combined the garden room with an attached gazebo for covered seating. The building has a green roof to encourage wildlife and also to improve the aesthetic from the rear bedroom windows. In addition, they have a lean-to pergola for private dining and an exposed patio for sunbathing. The lines are simple and contemporary, with the borders consisting of low maintenance perennials, grasses and evergreen shrubs, with a smattering of small, deciduous trees for seasonal interest. 

Exposed Coastal Site

A coastal site, designed to emulate littoral walks around the UK.  The design consists of a single, winding pathway and two deep borders, containing a variety of low maintenance plants, ideal for exposed areas.  Evergreen shrubs of varying sizes include, Olearia (Olearia X Haastii), Groundsel tree (Baccharis Patagonica) and dwarf pine (Pinus Mugo "varella"), which provide seasonal structure, whilst deciduous grasses such as Eulalia (Miscanthus Sinensis "Kleine Fontane) and Pampas grass (Cortaderia Selloana), give gentle movement to the garden during the milder months of the year.  Scattered along the path, evergreen perennials, Sea holly (Eryngium X Zabelii "Big Blue") and Red Valerian (Centranthus ruber) add year round interest and rustic charm. Herbaceous perennials such as Erigeron (Erigeron Karvinskianus "stallone") and Salvia (Salvia nemorosa) provide the space with colour during the spring and summer.  For Height, a pair of slow-growing, Elder trees (Sambucus Nigra) finish off the design.