Making the most of the sunny spots in a shady garden
Our brief on this project was to create a space to relax and entertain. The site is fairly compact and enclosed on all sides by high boundary walls which makes it quite shady. The new design makes the most of the sunniest spots. The main area of the space is paved with ‘Florence White’ porcelain paving laid in stretcher pattern, with an inset path of sandstone plank paving running across the middle of the garden from the stairs. The plank paving continues up the front of the existing raised bed on the right hand side.
The back wall is clad in large format porcelain cladding tiles with a Corten steel panel for contrast. Bespoke storage units constructed from Red Grand hardwood timber are tucked away under the stairs to enable the client to store outdoor cushions and other items when not in use.
The right hand boundary wall behind the existing raised bed features a bespoke contemporary ‘vertical garden’, comprising a series of rectangular Corten steel planters stacked on top of each other. Each planter is at a different distance from the wall, to create a dynamic and visually arresting focal point packed full of plants to really green up the space. The planting scheme is lush and green, focusing on textured foliage and shade tolerant plants. A large Corten steel planter positioned in the left hand corner of the garden opposite the bottom of the stairs holds a specimen acer tree to add some height to the space.