A long garden with a long drop
This stunning space belongs to a couple who had recently moved in and were completely remodelling the house. They were at a loss as to where to start with the garden, especially as it is 85m long with an 18m drop from one end to the other! There are plenty of mature trees plus a stream at the bottom, but it was very difficult to access. They wanted to do most of the work themselves over a number of years, so they needed a high level plan and guidance on how and where to start. I’m very pleased to say that they were completely delighted with my designs!
The steepest part of the garden is the first 20m or so leading from the house. It really needed steps and these would be a real feature to access the garden.
Not every part of the garden was on a slope. This level section would be a great place for the garden office.
This is the high level design for my clients back garden. They now have a picture and a plan for how to start the work. The curving path that takes you through the garden will have an occasional step or two and will be easier to build - and a lot less expensive - than building retaining walls and levelling the ground. As well as the steam at the bottom, there’s also a boggy area, and I have drawn boardwalk access for them both.
My clients are very keen to encourage wildlife into their garden, so I have recommend planting with that in mind.
Some ideas for the steps and level changes.
An orchard meadow will encourage wildlife, require less mowing and be a gorgeous place to relax!
This is a simple section through the garden from the house to the stream at the bottom. When discussing my ideas with my clients, it was really useful to be able to see the slope alongside the design. Both the design and section drawings are at the same scale of 1:125.