Opening your space up to the sun
Gordon and Eileen live on a corner a plot which means two things: 1) there is in fact quite a lot of garden space, but 2) it is spread all around the bungalow and could be considered to be an awkward shape. There were 7 or so very large conifers when I first visited but they had already decided to have them removed to allow more space for a new design so I didn’t have to make the case for this. I arranged for this to happen quite quickly as we worked on the design as it makes it easier for my clients to imagine the new layout in the space.
They had ordered a new bi-fold door to run along the living room and so bringing some decking out at floor level was very desirable here. We agreed that a one of the new composite decking products would be ideal as it could be the colour of the door frames and had non-slip rating. Another advantage is that is easily cleaned without changing its appearance (pressure washing can make timber ‘fuzzy’ or discolour it).
Barry designed our garden from scratch, his first task being the construction of a hand made lattice fence, built on site, which forms the long boundary. He gave us excellent advice on the planting up all the flowers and shrubs and supervised the planting. He also installed the large areas of decking and the antique brick paved paths. We are delighted with the finished garden and are fortunate to have Barry involved in its expansion and development.
Having removed the conifers a new fence of some sort was needed but a new hedge was to be established on the outside of this. A screen of battens was able to take the curve of the boundary and also let some light in both directions, to help the hedge the garden inside get established. My clients live in a quiet area of Chichester and so the partial view in and out of the garden was not an issue.
There was an existing water feature, a large terracotta urn overflowing and a summerhouse which Gordon and Eileen had picked to be incorporated into the design. A block of Laurel hedge was left to maintain a screen from the next door property. With a young grand child they also wanted a small area of lawn within the garden which would need to be near the house as this is the South facing side of the garden.
I found a new brick for a path which is made for landscaping (house bricks though they may look good are not made for using at ground level and will often ’blow’ and disintegrate over time). The colour of the bricks tied in well with the water-feature and added an aged look to what could otherwise have been an all too new looking design.
The wrap-around nature of the plot was used to develop different areas to be in, giving opportunity to explore and discover.
