This pocket sized garden had become very dilapidated over the years and been taken over by aggressive climbers and weeds from the surrounding gardens. A tall Robinia tree was attractive but now blocked a lot of light.
The design solution was to clear out all the overgrown planting and weeds and to give the space a completely refreshed look. The canopy of the tree was raised and thinned, but this was done carefully so as to not destroy the elegant overall shape of the tree. The clients were keen to keep the relaxed atmosphere, but also wanted a modern feel to the garden. The old fences were replaced by stylish horizontal 'Hits and Miss' panels and Horizontal 'Venetian trellis'. These also helped to make the space feel larger. Clean lined rendered planters were constructed on the sunnier side of the garden, raising the planting here and adding interest with a change of levels. The clients wanted to still be able to sit in the shade of the tree and so a Millboard deck was constructed under it and a stepping stone grey limestone path set in slate shale gave access and added to the modern feel of the garden.
Planting was mainly shade tolerant to ensure it thrived in the generally shaded garden and this softened the modern hard landscaping, retaining the soft relaxing atmosphere of the old garden. Small islands of planting matching the stepping stones in the slate shale also added to this effect. Subtle atmospheric lighting means the garden can be used in the evenings and even viewed in the winter from the kitchen and conservatory style rear of the house.