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Simply stunning

Document Cited in Related
Vincent
Published date04 April 2024
Publication titleEvening Chronicle
The house in question has recently benefited from an extension and as is the contemporary way it meant that the view was a lot bigger with a glass frontage

In this case the house was owned by a mature couple who were stylish and wanted to keep things simple. Their garden was to be a haven, although one which didn't require a lot of work. They wanted to use the space for entertaining, a suburban Eden to relax in.

With garden design, often the secret is to have one big immediately apparent idea. Too much going on can be too complicated for the eye.

A good design has coherence and so for this garden the primary idea was to create a central gathering space. To add extra interest, and that come hither nudge, I decided on sinking the central area to create a gathering space around a fire bowl. To achieve this I'd need two steps down and towards the end of the garden two steps back up.

At that end, there was an evening sun trap and this needed to be a place where the home owners, when they were in from work, could sit for an hour or so before the sun disappeared.

So what we end up with is a simple relaxed garden, one that hasn't any areas of high maintenance, no lawns needing mowing, a garden that includes a few up to date touches such as a tank of water planted with floating lilies and enjoyed by some gold fish.

So what does planting in this garden look like? You choose very carefully because with relatively small spaces every plant should have either a job to do or some joy to bring. I'm going to start with a tree and lessen the effect of neighbouring houses by planting an Acacia dealbata which will be fast growing, medium sized and dressed in sulphur yellow flowers at this time of the year. This will be the apex of the design.

I'll also plant a oriental maple, Acer 'Osakazuki' which is always a graceful addition and...

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