The Cobbled Garden

This was a very small space, with a high, brick wall along the bottom, sound fencing to the right, and a dilapidated fence to the left. It was somewhat overshadowed by a large, mature sycamore tree on the other side of the brick wall. However, this tree did lend a sense of height and perspective to a rather small and flat plot.

The garden also contained a large shed, which took up almost a third of the entire garden area. The client wanted a 'cottage garden' style space, with heavy emphasis on planting. With a south facing aspect, most of the garden benefits from sunshine throughout the day, which makes it ideal for a variety of flora and foliage.

The broken fence to the left of the space was replaced with a high brick wall. Both this and the existing wall were painted white to provide a stylish, neutral backdrop to the planting palette. The space was divided into three beds, which were separated by a curved cobblestone path running from the back door to the end of the space.

In keeping with the cottage garden look requested by the client, the space was packed with hardy evergreens to provide the backbone to the planting scheme, interspersed with soft flowering perennials in a riot of colours to bring the borders to life in the spring and summer months. The planting scheme also featured a selection of herbs and fruits - grapes to grow along the white walls, a large flowering cherry tree with edible fruit, and a lemon tree planted in a pot.

A selection of traditional perennial garden herbs planted near the back door will yield a fair amount for culinary use year after year, with the opportunity to supplement them every spring with annuals such as dill and basil.

"As I watch my brand-new garden grow after the spring rains I can't help thinking about Katrina and the team: their loving care and dedication will always be visible to me in every tree, shrub and flower, in every brick, stone, trellis and plant pot... I was so happy after my initial consultation with Katrina (and I gave her a pretty thorough 'grilling' for more than an hour!) that I ignored my son's - no doubt very sensible - suggestion that I obtain the usual three quotes.

And neither of us have been disappointed. Katrina quickly picked up on my desire for a simple, but graceful, cottage-style garden: full of colour, herbs and fruit-bearing plants. We took time to develop ideas together - Katrina, obviously, being the "leading light" with her enthusiasm and comprehensive knowledge and understanding of plants.

Throughout the execution of the project, which lasted nowhere near as long as I would have expected, I was further impressed by the team's consummate professionalism, hard work and attention to detail.

Now I can't wait for the summer, autumn and years to come, so I can watch my garden grow and blossom. I've already been sitting in the spring sunshine and am amazed how much my garden has changed in just a few weeks. I would certainly not hesitate to recommend this team of young professionals to anyone who wants a beautiful and well constructed garden."