A Coastal Haven

Some gardens start from a blank slate. This one, behind a period seafront townhouse in Whitstable’s conservation area, grew from what was already there: an established Aleppo pine and a previous owner’s cherished plants. Sheltered from the sea winds, it is built to weather salt air and dry summers while playing host to long evenings with friends.

Ten years after designing and building their East London garden, Garden Club London’s Founding Director Tony Woods worked with the same clients again, this time at their period townhouse in Whitstable’s conservation area, close to his own home on the Kent coast. Working with local contractors and nurseries, creating a coastal garden that suits the way they live now: dogs, wetsuits, abundant hosting and long summer evenings.

Design

The house faces directly out to sea, with long views and late sunsets. The garden sits behind it, sheltered from the strongest winds, which creates a warm, protected microclimate within Whitstable’s mild maritime setting. Our clients wanted to keep the character and some of the plants the previous owner had collected over many years. The most important was a mature Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis). It anchors the garden, gives gentle privacy, and brings textured bark and fine needles held in loose, airy tufts.

With two dogs and dry Kent summers, a lawn made little sense. Our clients were equally keen to avoid a hard, over-landscaped look. The design divides the plot into three distinct areas.

Outside the kitchen, a composite deck has room for dining, drying washing and summering houseplants, alongside pots of vegetables and salad crops. An outdoor shower rinses off dogs, wetsuits and beach gear before they come indoors.

At the centre of the garden, porcelain stepping stones run through relaxed planting, feature rocks and self-binding gravel to the garden kitchen area. The gravel acts as a mulch and lets self-seeding grasses and annuals take hold. This softness balances the robust, industrial-style concrete outdoor kitchen, which has a Big Green Egg, a sink and plenty of preparation and storage space.

At the rear, a clay brick terrace outside the garden studio is set up for casual dining or lounging in the sun, with space for a firepit to extend evenings after dinner. We worked with James Gray Garden Buildings to design a garden studio for home working, with extra utility and storage space.

Site preparation and build

We phased the build so our clients could use part of the garden while the studio was finalised and installed. The landscaping was carried out by Kent-based Hythe Garden Landscapes. We have worked with them before, and they share our London build teams’ meticulous approach to detail and quality.

Laying the decking and clay bricks on the diagonal emphasises the garden’s angular geometry. This demands precise setting out and cutting so every line falls exactly where it should. Every material was chosen to withstand daily family life and the coastal climate for years to come.

All materials, rocks, decking, waste and the garden building itself had to travel through a narrow side alley. The logistics needed the same careful coordination as any of our urban London builds.

The planting

Whitstable’s mild maritime climate brings low rainfall. The planting needed to be resilient, adaptable to a changing climate and robust enough for two playful dogs and a cat. Reclaimed galvanised water tanks serve as planters on the deck and support an arch with a container-grown wisteria.

The existing pine gives the garden structure and form. Its canopy casts dappled shade that keeps the garden cooler on the hottest summer days. Rather than crowd such a characterful tree, we left breathing space beneath it and planted only a small group of tough shrubs around its base.

Agaves bring bold, architectural structure with their glaucous, spine-tipped leaves. Centranthus, Crocosmia, Stipa, Persicaria and Sedum provide successional colour and interest through the seasons. Pinus mugo ‘Mughus’ and Pittosporum tobira ‘Nanum’ form compact evergreen structure between seasonal highlights. Sea kale (Crambe maritima) is a nod to Whitstable’s shingle beaches. Tamarix ramosissima ‘Pink Cascade’ adds frothy, wind-tolerant screening