New build half-timbered farmhouse near the Severn

Before

Although the terrace had already been laid, the rest of this garden was virtually empty . The priority for the client, a keen plantswoman, was to provide a layout which would give her plenty of scope for her own innovative and exciting planting. They also urgently needed privacy from the road, which although a quiet lane, offered wide views into all the front rooms.

The rural nature of the surroundings and the style of the new house required a sensitive approach to the choice of materials.

The solution - privacy regained

A small gravel rectangle inside the wicket gate leading from the lane is retained by timber walls, and bordered with a pleached hedge on three sides giving immediate privacy at high level, whilst the woven willow fence panels offered immediate privacy and shelter until it matured. Three years on, the hedge now offers dense cover, and is ready to be trained and clipped.

Ramped gravel steps lead left and right to the two lawns.  The shelter from the willow panels has enabled the planting to get away quickly, and the client's fizzing colour combinations are now making an impact.

In three years the clients have created a full and stunningly planted garden, and the house is settled into the surrounding landscape. The weeping birch, now used as a playhouse by the grandchildren, takes centre stage on the lower lawn.

The naturalistic treatment of the pond and stream, with pebbles rocks and timber sleepers, celebrates the proximity of the River Severn and its commercial past; it regularly floods the surrounding farmland.

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