Clients brief:
Clients contacted us about our cottage garden planting design service because they love the style of cottage gardens. First things first, our client’s front garden has a large overgrown Leylandii hedge casting shade right across the front of their house. Because the house faces east they were missing out on the morning light. So this had to be dealt with by removing it and preparing the ground for a whole new planting scheme.
Our first job was to remove the old hedge and replace it with a beautiful beech hedge. Because we wanted to create a cocktail of food sources for pollinators we selected a UK native. Also, in place of tired lawns, we extended the front garden path with sandstone paving to match the existing paving.
I set to work to create an abundant cottage garden planting plan to get those garden borders brimming with life. My clients wanted to create an oasis for bees, butterflies and birds. Not only was I commissioned to design the cottage garden borders but just as importantly to enhance privacy from the local bridleway at the bottom of the garden. My clients need to maintain the view of the adjoining fields that they enjoy from their kitchen windows. Client’s black barn is in the heart of the beautiful Chess Valley and we all agreed that the stunning view from their garden has got to be maintained at all costs.
A variety of ornamental, berrying trees are now in the main garden borders to provide beautiful leaf colour in the autumn with a feast of fruits and berries for the birds. Our planting design service focuses on bringing structure into the garden, the backbone of the design and selecting garden trees of value, in terms of providing habitat and food for local wildlife and pollinators.
Innovations: To discourage encroaching annual and perennial weeds from entering the garden boundary we installed a plastic root barrier into the ground and stapled a fine mesh screen to the existing post and rail fencing. The brilliance of the fine mesh screening didn’t hinder the view at all and from a kitchen window wasn’t discernible. Clients are delighted with their garden transformation and have heartily recommended our planting design service in their lovely review.