OUR APPROACH
One of the biggest challenges was also where the garden began to take shape.
Rather than simply trying to drain away the waterlogged area, we asked whether we could work with it. The answer became a wildlife pond.
Positioned close to the house, the pond is now one of the first things Melanie sees when looking out into the garden. Reclaimed logs, habitat piles, ferns and acers surround the water, creating somewhere that feels peaceful for people while providing valuable habitat for wildlife.
What had been a problem became the ecological heart of the garden.
A JOURNEY THROUGH THE GARDEN
From the pond, a simple railway sleeper bridge takes you into a different part of the landscape.
Here, ornamental grasses and perennial planting create a looser, meadow-like feel. The grasses move with the wind and their seed heads provide interest long after summer has passed. Further into the garden, silver birch, fruit trees and tree ferns create another change in atmosphere.
There are influences from Japanese and Chinese gardens throughout, but we’ve deliberately avoided copying them. Instead, those ideas sit alongside plants and materials that feel comfortable in a London garden.
The result feels influenced by Melanie’s travels rather than themed around them.
MATERIALS & PLANTING
Reclaimed York stone stepping stones create a simple permeable route through the garden.
We wanted their edges to soften rather than remain sharply defined. Low-growing plants, including Mind-your-own-business, are already beginning to find their way between the stones. That’s something we welcome.
The garden isn’t supposed to remain frozen in the condition we left it. Plants will spread, wildflowers will appear and some species will find their own place within the planting.
Our job is to give that process a strong enough framework that a little wildness makes the garden better rather than untidy.
THE OUTCOME
What was once a large gravel-covered space now feels like a journey through a series of different landscapes.
There’s water and woodland close to the house, movement and openness through the meadow planting, and quieter moments beneath the birches, fruit trees and tree ferns. After only one growing season, the garden is already beginning to settle in — the pond is attracting wildlife, plants are spreading between the stepping stones and naturally occurring species are beginning to join the planting.
Most importantly, it feels personal to Melanie. Her love of Eastern gardens is there, but this isn’t an imitation of somewhere else. It’s a London garden shaped by the places and landscapes that have meant something to her.
And it’s only just getting started.
GALLERY
Moments from the project.
It feels completely personal to us. There are little reminders of places I love throughout the garden, and we’ve loved watching it come to life.
START A PROJECT
What could your garden become?
Tell us about your space — and the places that inspire you — and we’ll help you bring that feeling home.