A wonderful planted backdrop to a brand new patio
Guildford, Surrey
The clients came to us desperate for a renovation of their rear garden. An old, uneven patio to the rear of the house made up of concrete pavers was proving to be increasingly impractical. The planting in the tiered flowerbeds was being overtaken by weeds and in winter died back to reveal the now-rotting & collapsing half-rounded logs forming the retaining walls. And a steep staircase was the only access to the main garden high above the house & patio.
We took the opportunity to propose some alternative designs for the planting levels, access points and seating areas, although the final decision was to retain the existing layout and replicate the lines using a fresh set of wooden sleepers.
Turns out this was quite a challenge because the desired construction materials - wooden sleepers laid to horizontal - didn’t perfectly match the curved shapes of the original retaining walls, and plenty of adjustments were made as the build went on. In order to avoid a similar failure witnessed with the previous construction, the sleepers were attached to fixing posts securely embedded in the ground, and diligently backed with damp-proof material to minimise continued exposure to moisture from the soil. We also ensured that conduits under the new staircase were included to accommodate electricity cables and irrigation piping.
The paving and staircase were replaced with beautiful textured porcelain pavers creating a much more practical and enjoyable space.
The whole build was conducted by J M Landscapes who delivered an exceptional piece of construction work. The irrigation system was built Mark Lenel Garden Design, and planting support came from Ben Robertson of Clandon Gardens.
Lastly - to the planting. The clients had a pretty open spec for this but were particular drawn towards rich, floriferous, herbaceous, perennials balanced with a mix of evergreens and ornamental grasses. The space to the right of the patio would be most looked upon during the colder months so needed plenty of winter interest. We stuck to a slightly restricted colour palette focussing largely on purple-mauve-blue, white and green, albeit with the odd spot of contrast.
Structure & rhythm throughout the area was provided by evergreen shrubs such as English Yew (Taxus baccata) in tightly trimmed balls and cones, Wormwood (Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’), Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Tom Thumb’, New Zealand Flax (Phormium ‘Bronze Baby’) and Sweet Box (Sarcococca hookeriana ‘Purple Gem’).
The soft texture of Mexican Feather Grass (Stipa tenuissima) was provided in touching distance at the front edges of the flowerbeds, whilst taller grasses such as Golden Oats (Stipa gigantea) and Feather Reed Grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’) populated the rear of the beds.
A range of beautiful perennials planted in drifts throughout would provide colour, texture and interest throughout the growing season. These included Woodland Sage (Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’), Beeblossom (Gaura lindheimeri ‘Whirling Butterflies’), Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Russian Sage (Perovskia ‘Blue Spire’) and Globe Thistle (Echinops ritro ‘Veitch’s Blue’) to name but a few.
We - although more importantly the client - were delighted with how it turned out, and we look forward to returning in the coming years to see how it develops.
UPDATE AUGUST 2024:- We returned just four months later to check on progress, and we were astounded by the fantastic growth put on by all the plants. Everything was going great guns, the bees were loving the flowers, and the borders had filled out incredibly well. So much so, in fact, that we advised the client to cut back some of the sprinters (in particular the Verbena) to allow the rest of the perennials and evergreens to take hold. They have also been advised to do the ‘Chelsea Chop’ next May to limit overgrowth on the taller plants.
