The brief here was to create a colourful and welcoming cottage garden to settle this new home into its’ country setting. The front garden needed to frame the house and provide some privacy from the street, while the back needed to be a usable space allowing for a deck, some lawn for the client’s dog, and room to grow some veggies and herbs.

Our solution was to create a number of different garden rooms that are unified through consistent lines- the curve of the deck mirrors the curve of the lawn. By the deck, a flowering Cornus kousa Chinensis tree provides shade, while in the other corner of the yard, corten steel veggie beds make the most of this north-facing sunny pocket. Fruit trees are espaliered against the fence behind, again making the most of the limited space.

The space is unified by a 2m deep border along the back fence which is filled with flowering perennials. This is the focal point of the garden, providing an ever-changing colourful scene through the seasons. 

A walkway down the side of the house provided an opportunity to create another mood within the space, with a small shade planting along a stepping stone pathway. This creates a beautiful transition walking out from the garage here out to the sun-filled back garden.

The front of the house makes the most of every bit of available earth, filling it with classic cottage garden plants that do well in this area including Stachys, Nepeta and Erigeron.