A contemporary edge of village garden
A garden designed for a couple relocating from London to the Hampshire countryside, who love the outdoors and gardening plus entertaining family and friends. Following renovation of their house, they wanted their new garden to continue its modern country style but sit sensitively into its setting on the edge of the village with borrowed views.
A terrace close to the house combines a dining area surrounded by scented planting and a seating area with views across the garden to the evening terrace at the end. It also overlooks a corten steel water cascade, which feeds a rill that runs the length of the garden before terminating in a pond, over which the evening terrace appears to hover.
Movement through the garden is further encouraged by ornamental planting along the rill path and a contemporary minimal timber screen that weaves through the garden, framing views and adding verticality. Arches mark the moments of crossing the rill and entering a new space.
A new vegetable garden with raised corten steel beds and a bespoke greenhouse with storage replaces the couple’s much-missed city allotment.
To the front of the house a new contemplative garden offers a relaxing view from the study, whilst also screening the gravel forecourt. A new welcome court enhanced with planting and lighting guides visitors towards the entrance.
The landscaping materials chosen – clay pavers, pale grey porcelain paving, corten steel and douglas fir- will all weather well and blend with the wider landscape. This colour palette is picked up in the rusty oranges, fresh greens and whites of the planting. Beech cubes and hedges combined with dwarf mountain pines and prostrate rosemary provide year-round structure, which is picked up by perennials such as Geum ‘Totally Tangerine’, Epimedium x warleyense ‘Orange Queen’ and Mathiasella bupleuroides ‘Green Dream’.
