A beautiful and private rear garden
West Horsley, Surrey
This was a delightful project working on a modest-sized garden in the village of West Horsley, near Guildford. The clients were keen to revamp their living space to the rear of their house, to give it a lift, and to accommodate a new outbuilding to be used as a summerhouse / gym.
The existing garden had a few planting spaces around the borders of the lawn and the existing patio, but overall little specific features of interest. Instead it was dominated by a large oak tree (thankfully on the north side of the garden) and a large ivy hedge. However there were a number of good quality, mature shrubs in place, and some distant views to the surrounding woodland.
Following a comprehensive survey we set about working up a number of alternative layout schemes for the space. In every case we were looking to introducing shaping and design to the lawn, in the process creating a series of new and extended planting beds around the garden. Other than experimenting with a range of shapes and sizes for the new summerhouse, we looked to introduce more separation & enclosure for the patio space; clearer pathways from the decking at the rear doorway to the garden; and clearer routes from the side access.
Further to this a number of 3D illustrations were created to help the client visualise the likely outcome:-
On final agreement of the concept, a series of working plans were developed to allow the landscaper (in this case New Leaf for Gardens Ltd) to set out the borders, install lighting & electricity circuits, prepare the base for the outbuilding, install the stepper pathways, and prepare the new flowerbeds for planting up.
Meanwhile a planting plan was under development to include a number of the client’s favourites. Plants were provided by Spring Reach Nursery - thankfully very local to the site - and installed by Mark Lenel Garden Design that spring. Of particular note was a beautiful Weeping Crab Apple (Malus ‘Royal Beauty’) to feature in the main bed and stand out in front of the ivy hedge. A climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris) was placed in front of a prominent neighbour’s wall to eventually provide cover & disguise, and offer a lovely fragrance for those entering from the side access. A rare cultivar of Japanese Aralia (Fatsia japonica ‘Spider’s Web’) has a gorgeous variegated texture to the large-lobed leaves, and performs well in shade, so was installed as the key plant beneath the kitchen window. A Mock Orange (Philadelphus 'Belle Etoile') a fabulous shrub that provides an incredible fragrance when in bloom so was placed fairly close to the patio. Filler plants included Japanese Forest Grass (Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’), Mexican Feather Grass (Stipa tenuissima 'Pony Tails'), Coral Bells (Heuchera ‘Plum Pudding’), Snowy Woodrush (Luzula nivea), Masterwort (Astrantia 'Roma'), Culver’s Root (Veronicastrum virginicum 'Diane'), and Globe Thistle (Echinops ritro 'Veitch's Blue'), amongst many others.
