Connection to the wider landscape was central to the brief. The family wanted their garden to echo the surrounding peri-urban environment, while still offering space for children to play and for relaxed gatherings with family and friends.

The planting wraps softly around the lawn, echoing the character of the wider landscape beyond the garden. Curved borders guide the eye and movement through the space, creating a gentle sense of flow and the feeling of being immersed in nature.

Key constraints of the project included the garden’s north-west facing aspect, with large neighbouring trees casting additional shade across the site. The garden is prone to holding water in the soils but drainage has been solved. The design also needed to allow for a budget-conscious implementation, both in construction and plant selection.

Creating a place to gather was central to the garden’s purpose. Before engaging us, the family had already paved a small terrace in the far corner of the garden, imagining it as a place for shared meals and quiet evenings with friends.

Our role was to link this space to the life of the garden and the home. Large, irregular shaped paving stones are designed to lead you from the back door through the lawn, past the plantings and towards the terrace, creating a natural flow that draws people outward and connects the spaces for living, playing, and gathering.

Growing food for their young family became an important aspiration for the clients. Aware of the demands of busy lives, they wanted to begin with a small, manageable productive space, somewhere they could dip their toes into growing without feeling overwhelmed.

Positioned just outside the kitchen door, the garden allows herbs and vegetables to be gathered easily while cooking. An in-ground herb bed and a raised vegetable bed provide the foundation of this productive space, with room left within the design for the garden to expand as the family’s confidence grows.

Compost bins have been carefully integrated to support the family’s aim of creating a more circular garden system.