Poolfoot
Our clients approached us to ask for a complete overhaul of their garden, which had a very large, sloping lawn surrounded by trees and shrubs, as well as a scrubby hedge dividing the main garden from that of the next door property which was to be purchased by the homeowners in addition to the main house. They asked us to separate the main garden from that of the annex cottage so that the two properties could be used together or separately without compromising either garden.
The large lawn needed to be altered as the clients wanted to be able to step straight from the large patio outside the front of the house onto the lawn, and they wanted it to be flat. The existing lawn sloped away from the house and would need to be levelled.
They asked us to create a platform at the water’s edge that went out over the river bank so that they could have a place to sit and watch the river flow, and to dangle their legs in the water. They also required a small beach area to be created further up the bank to create river access for the cottage.
The clients wished for a fire pit and area for outdoor entertaining to be created in a quiet corner near to the river.
A children’s play area was requested, to include a slide as well as swings and a possible zip line.
A small outdoor courtyard at the heart of the house required modernisation and a planting scheme to account for the shade and the small proportions of the space.
The clients asked us to use our discretion as to the planting scheme, with their only wish for it to fit in with the style of the stone and slate built Lake District cottage, whilst bringing a gently contemporary feel that would remain in keeping with the countryside.
The Solution
The first job was to level the lawn by bringing the level up by approximately half a metre. This involved importing many tonnes of soil and gravel to the site, and laying drainage tracks in order to keep the lawn from waterlogging. Turf was then laid on top to give an immaculate finish.
A wooden fence was erected between the gardens of the main house and the cottage annex, with a large sliding gate that can be drawn across the patio to give privacy when needed, or left open to bring a sense of openness and cohesion when the barrier is not required.
More formal planting adorns the edge of the main lawn along the wooden fence. Here, three delicate leaved Malus trees are under planted with towering Verbena ‘Bonariensis’, neatly trimmed box balls, spikes of Agastache and Salvia, Agapanthus and Pennisetum grasses. The purple hues chime harmoniously with the faded silver of the fencing, the regular horizontal lines of which add a subtly contemporary feeling to the border.
On the other side of the fence the shaded garden of the cottage echoes the design, with three parachute pruned Prunus ‘Lusitanica’ trees, underplanted with ferns, box balls, lower growing grasses and striking tree ferns that add variety of height to this solidly textured border.
In answer to the request for a platform at the water’s edge, a cantilevered, layered jetty, comprising three square wooden decks, neatly overlayed to allow for the sloping terrain and to add a touch of panache to the wooden jetty design.
Under the naturally curved rock face of a small quarry on the way to the river decking, the winding slate chipping path arrives at an unexpectedly smooth white stone construction. The clean circular lines encompass a central fire bowl of rusted steel. Around the edges of the stone semi-circle, tucked under the quarry wall, a curved wooden bench sweeps around the inner curve. Opposite, the two shorter sections of the circle rise to a lower level to allow the eye to gaze to the garden and the river beyond.
A space under trees and at the base of a rocky outcrop was selected as the right site for the children’s play area. This position was perfect to accommodate the slide coming down the rockface, and the potential zip wire between the trees. The ground has been prepared using bark chippings to give a soft base.
The inner courtyard of the main house has been designed in a clean, modern style, using layered white stone paving blocks, threaded with channels of small ferns, and topped with a large potted Acer palmatum. A clean white bench allows for moments of quiet contemplation.
The entire garden has been surrounded by deer fencing, with laurel hedging in certain sections to soften the boundary and add privacy and sound protection from the nearby road. A curving black estate fence offers a stylish barrier between the lawn and riverbank; permeable yet solid. Prunus Lucitanica hedging is used to conceal gas tanks and the parking area from the cottage entrance. In the immediate vicinity of the property, slate walling has been erected to retain raised beds and to delineate the walkway around the back of the cottage.
Sweeping beds beneath the hillside as you enter the driveway are planted with Acer, multi-stem Silver Birch, Hydrangea ‘Annabel’, Osmanthus, Rhododendron, Hellebore, Fern, Fatsia, Viburnum, grasses, Choisya, Nandina domestica, compact pine, holly, Tibetan cherry and Cotinus Coggygria.
At the front of the house the front door is flanked by a pair of towering holly cones that will bear bright red berries to catch the eye throughout the winter. A simple line of compact Pinus Mugo, interspersed with wispy Pennisetum adorns the front aspect of the house.
The Outcome
The large space has been divided into distinct areas that have each been imbued with their own character, whilst maintaining a harmony throughout the garden as a whole. Clean white stone is juxtaposed with rugged slate chiselled from a Lakeland hillside. Firmly slatted wood and metal is underplanted with soft textures and gentle purple hues. A neatly squared platform adjoins the meandering freedom of a river.
Contemporary design and materials work in harmony with their softer, more naturalistic counterparts. The character of the house is respectfully echoed throughout the garden, whilst little surprises of modernity bring the property into the present moment.
Outdoor lighting hidden throughout the walling and adorning the edges of the driveway add a touch of magic on a summer’s evening, and pick out varied textures and colours in the surrounding planting.
“The garden has come alive in your capable hands! We are more than delighted with the final outcome, and so grateful for your endless hard work to bring the project to fruition. Thank you team Lakeland Gardens!”
Anon.Windermere
