Garden Design Clinic Bristol

We were contacted by a woman from Bristol for some free garden design advice. She and her husband inherited the garden when they moved into the house. It is tidy but a little bit tired. She’s looking to some design ideas to help the garden link with the interior of a house. They would like a low maintenance garden, and are happy to forego lawn in favour of a paved area. They both work full time, and therefore have a little time to spend gardening, so would like low maintenance planting. Earth Designs suggested paving the entire area and including raised beds planted with Hardy Evergreen shrubs to give year round interest. These raised beds would be constructed from concrete blocks, rendered and painted a colour the client’s choice. Along the rear boundary of the garden, in between the raised beds will be a hardwood decking bench seat, wide enough for 5-6 people to sit on, and deep enough for one person to lay down on in the sunshine quite comfortably. A series of 1m cubed planters planted with tall Cordyline help to add height and maturity to the garden. The paving would be Indian sandstone which is available in a variety of colours and therefore able to chime in with the desired colour as well as the interior decor and colour scheme.

The hardwood decking bench would be framed on either side with pleached hornbeams, and would be complemented by a matching decking table and chairs. A planter containing evergreen climbers would be attached to the house wall, to help break up the line and make the structure less imposing.

If you would like some free garden design advice, do feel free to send email us a photograph of the space and a brief description of your requirements.