THE BRIEF
Following extensive renovations of this attractive period house in a north Hampshire village, we were asked to come up with layout and planting solutions for three distinct areas of the garden.
THE SCOPE
The former front door of the property looked out over a rather boring square patch of lawn with a medlar tree at the centre. The area was enclosed by mature yew hedging on the roadside, with metal railings and a low brick and flint wall on the other two sides.
THE DESIGN
The regular square shape has led to a formal layout being designed, comprising four low box edged beds with self-binding gravel paths between, and a central brick edged circular bed surrounding the existing medlar. The beds have been planted with repeat flowering scented roses, interspersed with perennials, including Salvia, Nepeta, Penstemon and Campanula. Existing rugosa roses within a bed along one of the boundaries have been underplanted with Alchemilla mollis, hardy geraniums, Stachys and Heuchera. A white painted bench forms a lovely focal point from the entrance gate.
WALLED GARDEN PLANTING SCHEME
The walled garden planting scheme was the main area to be redesigned, although the overall layout was to remain largely unchanged. An existing pergola defined one corner of the garden, covered with glorious white and mauve Wisteria, jasmine and Akebia. There was an existing paved seating area to the south, adjacent to the house. The borders along the boundary walls were lacking in interest and much of the planting had become overgrown. The resulting new scheme retains the existing mature climbing roses along the beautiful brick and flint walls, but replaces the rest of the planting with a combination of perennials, grasses, shrubs and bulbs to provide colour, texture and form from spring through to late autumn. New plants include Alchemilla, Gaura, Verbena, Sedum, foxgloves, Penstemon, Salvia, Cirsium, Iris germanica, shrub roses, purple fennel, Dianthus, Nepeta, Veronicastrum and Viola cornuta.
ENTRANCE COURTYARD: creation of privacy and softening of hard landscape
Lastly, the new entrance courtyard needed screening from the road, so a pleached hornbeam hedge was planted to provide extra height above the newly constructed brick wall. Further interest and softening of the hard landscaping has been added in the form of lavender hedges either side of the gravel driveway and a pretty Japanese flowering cherry tree, underplanted with daffodils.
The various boundary walls have been planted with climbing roses, a walled trained fig and fan shaped peach and nectarines, underplanted with Nerines, Dianthus, hardy geraniums, Salvia and Bergenia.
SLOPING SOUTH FACING ‘MEDITERRANEAN’ BORDER
A new planting scheme was also required for a sloping, south facing, very free draining border, alongside the drive connecting the entrance courtyard with the stable yard. Plants have been chosen to suite the Mediterranean conditions, including Euphorbia, Nepeta, Achillea, Erysimum, Sambucus, Stipa, Ceanothus, Perovskia, Hibiscus, Buddleja, Echinacea, Cistus, Phlomis and Artemisia. These have been repeated along the border to provide rhythm and impact. The bees and butterflies love this border!
