Natural Progression: Re-winding and re-wilding a romantic garden stripped bare

Behind the facade of so many beautiful period London houses, are many layers of a previously loved garden. Sadly, stripping back the property to add space and ‘value’ so often includes stripping back a garden to reveal it’s bones. The legacy, atmosphere and habitat gone forever. This garden had the fortune of a client in tune with nature and the gardens previous romance.

Design

When our client invited us to present a garden design proposal for their garden, it was a little unreal. It was almost the opposite to any garden design brief yet everything you dream of being asked to do. We sat down and looked at photographs of what the garden previously looked like prior to being modernised. Roses, shrubs and trees overhung the meandering paths that wombled their way through the sloping garden. A mass of green, pops of seasonal flowers and undoubtedly from these images you can hear the buzz of insects, birdsong and the gentle buzz of boats along the Regents canal.

A severe excavation of the garden and re-building of adjoining boundaries had involved ripping out the original garden and pouring tonnes of re-enforced concrete to create a naive flow from contemporary architecture to ‘outside’. A steep set of steps and copious amounts of paving and tiles dominated the space. A baron echo and a sunken yard detached from the faux green garden required serious re-thinking.

We looked at how, whilst working within a reasonable budget for the project, we could gently introduce steps that floated through greenery and cloth the stark and echoey walls with greenery as a starting point. A key element was making the garden safe for a young family and also accommodating a generous dining and seating space that felt immersed within the calm of green. The property had a stunning first floor glass extension and the dramatic effect of planting and lighting into this interior space at all times of year was also critical to the success of the new garden design.

Preparation and Build

As with so many of our projects, access was tight and limited via the basement level with tight corners and only internal access available. Our carefully trained team navigated this space for the entire excavation and import of materials and plants. We worked with retained as many existing materials as possible to reduce waste and deliver best value for our clients only removing and recycling exactly what was required.

To replace the steep and stark steps, ‘pads’ were introduced in layers which required build up and careful integration into the existing hardscape. Drainage and run off routes were carefully checked whilst new planter beds were added to the space to ensure that the maximum greenery and habitat was available.

Planting

The planting in this garden is an exciting mix of both seasonal foliage plants, trees, shrubs and delicate ground cover to add as much interest and habitat as possible. Feature shrubs and trees were carefully chosen and positioned to develop and unfold both the garden journey and visual impact from within the house, whilst extending seasonal interest with spring flowers and rich autumnal hues.

Delicate woodland plants including Anemone blanda, Polygonatum hybridum and Galium odoratum grace the path side on the journey from hammock, to willow play den whilst ‘edimentals’, herbs and showy flowers including Paeonia rockii, Angelica archangelica and Hamamelis x intermedia wrap around the seating area and kitchen window.