Garden Design - Woodford Green, Essex IG8

The Brief

• The client wishes the garden to function on several levels - including a football pitch and a sociable area for adults
• Currently, the space offers little of interest, either in terms of planting or landscaped features
• There is a large garden shed to the right of the space, which the client has requested be removed
• The area directly behind the house has recently been laid with new block paving
• The client has requested some lawn in to be included in the design
• The inclusion of vibrant colours to the space has also been requested by the client

The Solution

• To accommodate the clients love of colour, and in keeping with the style of the interior of the house, the design is based around blocks of vivid colour, taking inspiration from the abstract artist, Mondrian.
• Fixed bench seating, backed by planting in raised beds to give a lush, exotic feel, will allow ample seating for entertaining whilst maximising the available space.
• A painting palette of orange and blue is echoed in the planting scheme, which will feature a verdant, green leafed plants with splashes of orange
• The existing block paving will see the addition of several rendered block planters of various dimensions. This will allow us to play with height and levels, juxtaposing low level planting in tall planters and semi-tropical palms towering from diminutive block pots. This area will also contain occasional seating in the form of an arrangement of rendered blocks, painted in the same orange and blue as the raised beds and planters
• The left of the space, directly behind the house, will feature a stunning cobalt blue mosaic pool, standing at seat height to allow its edges to be used as a perch during hot summer days. A filtered pump will carry water from the pool to a mosaic shelf above, where it will cascade back down in a constant and hypnotic waterfall.
• Although the design contains many features designed to appeal to adults, the children have not been forgotten. A lawn, separate from the adults area, has been designed with football in mind. The goal area will be backed by raised beds, built to 1.2m in height to give the plants a fighting chance of survival, which will contain hardy bamboos and orange dogwood. Beside the lawn will be a large triangular area of concrete, covered with rubber 'flexidot' safety matting to provide a versatile play area suitable for paddling pools, sand pits, tables and chairs, etc. Squat flower pots, topped with grass and planted with a giant sunflower, will not only provide the children with a novelty seat but will also give them the opportunity to engage on some gardening of their own. A bamboo teepee situated in the raised bed will provide the children with a natural den in which to hide.
• Dramatic yet functional, the lighting scheme will complete the space, and will also the client to make use of the garden well into the balmy summer nights. Brick lighting will be used to illuminate the play area and the area behind the football goal. Blue LED Deck light will cuff the edge of a decked area beside the pool and ambient lighting placed within the beds will dramatically illuminate the foliage. The waterfall will be back lit to give the water feature an added flair.

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