The Brief
Turn a wilderness into a romantic garden with prairie style drift planting. The Clients wanted a pond, and several seating and entertainment areas. The garden should also frame the new Orangery they have had built.
The Site
The large rectangular plot was a disused equestrian school and industrial site, so although flat was on two levels. The ground had little or no top soil as the school had been laid to ash. There are several large mature trees creating a wooded area and a copse of very tall and quite unattractive conifers. On a positive note, the site looked out over the fields and directly onto the Wey navigation canal with long boats passing regularly.
The Design
The garden design is based around a large sweeping lawn with pleasing curves creating a balance between a formal and natural garden. The paving, constructed from ‘Copper’ slate, matches the floor of the Orangery, thus softening the boundary between the inside and the outside. Large generous steps lead from the formal part of the garden down into the woodland garden, planted with a mass of woodland style plants around a large natural pond. A woodland path then leads down to the canal where a bench is positioned for the Client to enjoy a morning coffee and to greet the passing long boats.
Testimonial
“We are delighted with our new garden. Gordon’s vision in creating the design and his attention to detail in bringing it to life shine through in the finished product. It has been a pleasure working with him.”