Garden Design - St John's Wood, London NW8
The design is based around a typical period Victorian garden, featuring a large cobble sett patio stretching out 4m from the back of the conservatory and sweeping across the garden in a large curve. A small step up from the edge of this patio demarks the beginning of a meandering cobble sett pathway running the length of the garden. Flush flower beds will run either side of the pathway, the soil retained where the ground level changes at the edge of the patio with walls constructed from the client's existing bricks, and either painted, rendered or left as bare brick to weather naturally. A circular lawn measuring 4m diameter will feature to the right centre of the path, nestled in a planting scheme chosen to mask the lawn from the rest of the space as the plants mature, helping to create a private and secluded area for relaxation and contemplation. Continuing down the space, the pathway will pass a 2.5m disc concrete platform adorned with pebble mosaic and planted in its centre with a 'Robinia pseudoacacia', to provide a smaller patio area ideal for the inclusion of a garden bench, tree seat or café style table and chairs. A large bamboo, planted in a pot to curtail its invasive nature, will be placed in the bed behind this area to screen the existing water butt from view.
The pathway will terminate at the existing garage, which will be blended into the design with the placement of trellis trained with evergreen climbers on its walls. Throughout its progress down the garden the pathway will widen in places to allow the client to display grouping of pots and object d'art - we would suggest that the client builds up a collection of garden 'shabby chic' over the coming years, to place amongst the beds to add a sculptural interest and enhance the sense of travelling back in time.
Planting will naturally be in a cottage style but with a contemporary twist with the addition of a large number of grasses. A riot of colour in the spring and summer months will give way to leaf colour and form for the winter months. Climbers will be used to make the most of the small space by colonising the garden's boundaries, while carefully placed willow obelisks trained with climbers will offer some height to the space. The scheme will be fairly mature from the start, with large shrubs chosen for instant effect. Wildlife friendly and scented blooms, typical in Victorian garden spaces, shall also feature in the planting scheme. It is also recommended that the client consider adding a small compost area to the rear of the garden, to make use of home produced compost for their pots and planters. Lighting within the space will feature granite eyelids sweeping across the length of the path every 2 metres (5 lights in total) alternating down the path, they will give a wash to the cobble set path. The step will feature one weathered copper down lighter either side of the step to spill light across the step riser, for safety as well as drama. Low Voltage spots will sit in the beds to illuminate and soft wash feature plants.