GARDEN DESIGN
For the principal garden in the
triangular area on the West side
of the house, we decided to design
a core rectangular central space
including a paved seating area with
gravel insets and strips of limestone.
Low tables of Taxus hedging and
new trees including a multi-stem
Parrotia persica and a Prunus
x subhirtella ‘Autumnalis’ were
planted to provide structure.
Access to the main garden is via a
mature bay hedge arch on the front
side of the house, with the main
gravel path leading the eye down to
an existing Mimosa tree and new urn
in the apex of the triangle.
Follow us @ludmagazine
This 30m long path running along
the whole length of the site was
re-aligned to run parallel with the
house and is punctuated by a series
of limestone strips and planted rills,
and three multi-stem Amelanchier
lamarckii were planted along
the front boundary to provide
additional screening.
The path continues at right angles
to the house to a new ‘destination’
dining area created in an under-
used space between the kitchen and
garage, a once gloomy corner toward
the back of the house transformed
into an inviting space for family
suppers and entertaining.
On the other side of the ‘secret
garden’, we designed a winding
gravel path leading to a new
bin store and utility area. Acers
and shrubs under-planted with
low grasses and ground cover
including Carex elata, Tellima
and Pachysandra were planted to
provide interest in an otherwise dull
and very shady part of the garden.
To offset the hardscaping and
create more of a natural look, we
created large areas of generous
planting throughout the garden.
In the main triangular garden,
we planted shrubs including
Rhododendron ‘Madame Masson’,
Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Snow
Queen’ and Pittosporum tobira
‘Nanum’ combined with perennials
such as Libertia grandiflora and
Persicaria amplexicaulis ‘Taurus’
and ferns such as Dryopteris filix-
mas. Interspersed between the
gravel and stone strips we planted
rills with Soleirolia soleirolii,
Erigeron karvinskianus and Thymus
serpyllum albiflorum. On the trellis
fixed to the boundary walls we
used evergreen climbers such as
Trachelospermum jasminoides and
Akebia quinata. Along the front of
the house, we included shrubs such
as Euphorbia characias ‘Humpty
Dumpty’ and Euphorbia mellifera,
combined with perennials Gillenia
trifoliata, Geranium ‘Rozanne’ and
Aster x frikartii ‘Monch’. Bulbs
such as crocus, Fritillaria meleagris,
narcissi, irises, alliums and tulips add
bursts of added colour throughout
the garden from early spring to
midsummer.
www.landud.co.uk
5