Garden Design - Maidstone, Kent
The various existing levels in this large garden will be terraced to create a more usable space, with several distinct areas providing a variety of alfresco dining and entertaining opportunities.
The existing middle terrace area will be extended towards the house and enclosed around three sides by raised bed retaining walls (rendered and painted a colour of the client’s choice) that will form part of the terracing for the upper garden. A set of deep steps will be constructed on the right hand side to connect the lower garden to the middle terrace. Flooring in both areas, including the steps, will be laid with attractive black slate tiles.
The left hand side of the middle terrace will benefit from a dining area featuring a suite of bespoke garden furniture constructed from sturdy new railway sleepers. This furniture will comprise an L-shaped fixed bench seat, a 1 metre square dining table and an L-shaped ‘suspended’ bench seat attached to the side of the raised bed retaining walls. A simple pergola-style open timber structure will enclose the dining area, over which an all-weather shade sail will be installed to make the dining experience more comfortable on hot summer days.
Flooring in the dining area will be laid with stylish white chipped travertine to provide a pleasing contrast to the black slate in the rest of the space.
The focal point of the right hand side of the middle terrace will be a stainless steel water feature installed on the raised bed wall directly opposite the top of the stairs to the lower area. This feature will consist of a long (1m)stainless steel water blade mounted halfway up the raised bed wall, from which water will cascade into a pool dressed with decorative aggregate installed in the paving below.
A second set of steps will lead to the upper garden, which will be enclosed by raised beds on the right hand side and a raised, level artificial lawn on the left. The upper garden will be paved throughout with black slate tiles to match the paving in the middle and lower garden, with the exception of a square patio laid with white chipped travertine on the right hand side. This patio will benefit from a timber pergola and shade sail to match that in the middle terrace.
Planting in the garden will follow a predominantly yellow and orange colour palette and will include large, green leaves tropical plants and exotic flowering perennials. A section of the bed to the right hand side of the upper garden will be lined with waterproof membrane to allow the planting of water loving bog plants, such as lilies and giant rhubarb (gunnera).