Small modern garden

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August 2017 – the ‘Small Modern Garden’ has just been the subject of an article by Homify, the house and gardens website.  It’s called ‘Before and After: This Bare Garden’s Stunning Makeover’.

My clients had just moved in to a house on a new estate, and wanted a garden that was an extension of the house – to be able to enjoy it as often as possible.   They wanted a low-maintenance, colourful garden, with a dramatic water feature and a sunken dining area for a  ‘wow’ effect.  They also wanted a firepit area to make the most of the evening sun.

The house faces west-northwest, so it only gets the sun on summer evenings; it is overlooked by housing and felt crowded in by a lot of brick walling, from garden walls and from garages either side.  The garden is very small, so fitting in the features the client wanted was quite a challenge, especially on a small budget.

After much discussion of options with the client and with the builders, it was agreed to have a sunken firepit area, a level dining area surrounded by a water feature which included a raised planting bed, two waterfalls, and a rill to separate the area from the rest of the garden.  Paving throughout unites the various areas of the garden, and there are planting beds for climbers and to surround the firepit area, which in time will soften all the hard landscaping as well as providing screening from the neighbours.  Having focus and interest within the garden is also important to draw attention away from the nearby buildings.

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