Garden design Bristol, Somerset & London
Final project for Diploma in Garden Design & Landscaping: a garden for a young family with formal and informal areas, seating and outdoor dining, water features, kitchen garden, exploring nature and wild play. Awarded Distinction.

Outline plan & isometric drawing

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Outline plan 1:200 @A1
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Isometric drawing 1:50 @ A1

Key features

  • Close to the house, garden rooms follow the strong symmetry of the early 20th Century architecture. Formality is given a contemporary twist with precision-cut smooth stone and narrow jointing and clean finishes. An elegant dining area leads through to a quiet formal lawn and on to a relaxed stone terrace.
  • Looking out over the reflective water, the transition from formality to the wilder parts of the garden is provided by a bank of naturalistic planting sloping towards the curvilinear lawn, and meadow planting.
  • A productive garden is contained within long lavender hedges, encouraging pollinators where they are most needed.
  • Grassy paths in dappled sunlight become bark chip under the tree canopies, curving through the trees towards a wild play area and a natural pond with a deck for wildlife watching and pond dipping.
  • The formal front garden is softened with scented evergreen shrubs and ferns for all-year interest.
  • A pergola planted with Winter-flowering clematis and Summer-flowering wisteria leads visitors from symmetry out into softer shapes and wilder planting. ​

Planting concepts

Photography from my image portfolio, taken in multiple locations
Click thumbnails to view full size image gallery
Planting for a shady front garden
Shade-tolerant hellebores and ferns for texture; topiary box and yew balls for structure; sarcococcas and skimmias for Winter flowers and scent
Planting for a sunny terrace 
Mediterranean shrubs for structure; wisteria and rosemary for texture and scent; hardy geraniums and asters for colour; irises and waterlilies for the reflective pond
Naturalistic planting for slope to lawn
Evergreen and semi-evergreen grasses for texture; sturdy perennials for colour and Winter structure; Mediterranean and native herbs for colour and scent