Front garden, Long Marston

The Brief

The client wanted their front garden re-designed. It had to fit in with the tone of the village and it had to be full of colour. It also had to provide year round interest. As it was a front garden there needed to be easy access to the front door and was more a garden to look at rather than an area to spend a considerable amount of time in. The design also needed to look good when viewed from inside the house. The existing space had no clear boundary with the neighbour’s drive, so some kind of boundary needed to be added.

Design Solution

Two symmetrical raised beds are used to frame the space. As well as creating strong structure and framing the door, this allows a lot of the planting to be done in topsoil rather than the clay heavy natural soil. Sleepers are used to create a natural feel and fit in with the surrounding area.

Sandstone paving with gravel infill is used to create the main pathway to the front door. The paving is offset to create a less formal feel while maintaining structure, and the gravel is Cotswold stone enforcing the connection with the local area.

The planting is inspired by the cottage style with some modern twists and is full of colour. Winter flowering bulbs and a backbone of evergreen structure ensure there is year round interest. To create an informal boundary a row of Cercis Canadensis ‘Hearts Of Gold’ were planted with Lavender as under planting.