The brief
The owners of this new-build house in north London - a Swedish couple with three teenage children - brought garden designer Sara Jane Rothwell on board during extensive internal renovations. For the garden, their brief was simple: to fill the space with plants. The owners wanted lots of flowering plants and references to their Swedish heritage, as well as a gazebo getaway for their teenagers.
The plot, a rectangle of around 40m by 16.5m, was not without its challenges. It was sloping and dominated by a rendered retaining wall that snaked, free-form, around the back and one side of the garden. Near the house it bulged out to surround a raised planting bed, which was dominated by scrubby shrubs and a large oak tree, Quercus robur. Next to the house, a huge terrace had been paved with dazzling white porcelain tiles, with grass covering the rest of the tiered space. "The white rendered walls were very much in your face, while the effect of all the tiling was blinding," recalls Sara Jane.
The design
Sara Jane kept the retaining wall, painting it an unobtrusive dark grey that the new planting would quickly screen. At the point where the wall curves out into the centre of the garden, she boosted the sense of width by working laterally across the space, creating fullwidth gravel patios and planting borders. She replaced the porcelain tiles on the terrace with slate, and reduced its size by adding beds to bring planting closer to the house. A neat path of hardwood boards, laid flush with the slate paving, cuts through the terrace and splits it in two, further lessening its impact.
Denne historien er fra July 2023-utgaven av Gardens Illustrated.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra July 2023-utgaven av Gardens Illustrated.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Field of Dreams - The naturalistic gem Hans Gieszen has created in former meadowlands near Utrecht in the Netherlands is the culmination of a lifelong passion
Ever since his mother gave him seeds as a small boy, gardening has been a passion for Hans Gieszen. He is completely self-taught, relying on garden visits and books for instruction, with one book in particular, Dream Plants for the Natural Garden by Henk Gerritsen and Piet Oudolf, influencing his style. “It was fascinating,” says Hans, remembering his first encounter with the book. “All those photos – pictures with mists and these tall and low plants and grasses. I realised I couldn’t do it in my small garden, but I kept dreaming and reading about it.”
WORLD OF POSSIBILITY
This superb tour of the world's botanical gardens highlights their vital role in saving the planet's flora, says Claire Masset
THE FEMININE TOUCH?
Does your garden have masculine or feminine style, and does it even matter? Head gardener Benjamin Pope unpicks gardening's gender stereotypes
'If you emulate nature, you're on to a winner'
Gardener, television presenter and author Carol Klein talks about her new book, the books she loves, her current challenges and what she's up to next
FRIENDLY ADVICE
When tasked with creating a garden for her friends, designer Neive Tierney found the project came with challenges - not least the need to include a wheelchair ramp and squeeze in a saltwater swimming pool
Passing the baton
The celebrated nursery and garden at Marchants Hardy Plants in East Sussex is now being managed by a new team, who continue to inspire visitors with innovative planting
My sweet gourd
Clark Lawrence, an American living in the heart of Italy's pumpkin province, loves growing different cultivars of pumpkins and ornamental gourds for their sweet flavours and fabulous looks
ANDY JASPER
The new CEO of the Eden Project on his excitement about a new chapter, the legacy he's left at the National Trust and his joy at heading home to Cornwall
Bedding in
In just under nine years, the owners of Arvensis Nursery in Wiltshire have created a mature garden that displays their high-quality perennials
Late summer dreams
From cool pastels and foliage to hot colours, designer Jo Thompson creates three stylish container combinations for autumn