There's no such thing as a no-maintenance garden but there are plants which will work harder for you. We review our favourites with tips on where they will perform best.
Getting started
This garden was very much a blank canvas when we first saw it. Now it's transformed into a modern garden with a swimming pool. An outdoor kitchen and pergola make this garden a wonderful space to enjoy throughout the day and into the evening.
The house was positioned to the rear of the plot meaning that the main garden was to the side of the house. This immediately created challenges in terms of privacy.
The brief was very inkeeping with life in a post-pandemic world; a swimming pool was to be the main feature as was a seating area and outdoor cooking space. Finally, the clients asked for somewhere sheltered to escape the sun in this south facing garden.
To break up the expanse of paving, we chose to include different finishes of porcelain. We combined a 'Sand Grey', which complemented the furniture, with a warmer 'Ivory' tone around the pool which works with the rich tones of the red brick wall.
THE pergola
The design included a pergola and, to ensure the garden had only minimal shadows, we placed this at the eastern end of the garden. This also meant that clients could enjoy the view of the sun setting by looking across their modern garden with a swimming pool and to the fields beyond.
However, as this was forward of the front elevation of the main dwelling, Llevelo Garden Design assisted in seeking planning permission on behalf of the client for the pergola. This has recently been approved and we look forward to being able to share photos of this upon completion.
Llevelo Garden Design assisted in seeking planning permission on behalf of the client for the pergola. This has recently been approved and we look forward to being able to share photos of this upon completion.
PLANTING
The borders were relatively small to make the most of the space. Therefore good successional planting was paramount. Certain areas of the garden would not been seen outside of summer. In these areas, we focused on plants that performed from April - September. Using cool colours such as purples, mauves and white meant the planting worked harmoniously with the grey hard landscaping. Warmer colours such as pink were used to create vibrance.
To assist with creating more privacy, pleached trees, or a 'hedge on legs' will eventually screen the property to the side of the garden while a new hedge was planted along the front end of the garden.
