A Suburban Back Garden

My remit was to design a contemporary family garden for sitting out on warm summer evenings with the sound of cascading water and modern planting.

The finished garden exhibits the elegance of rounded terracing, a water feature constructed of large granite stones and a new summer house.

The upper terrace constructed from random sandstone paving, curves around a central lawn. The hand-made brick steps edged with granite setts descend from the terrace in a long extended arc to the centre of the garden.

A simple wooden bridge bows over the large water feature to connect the side walkway to the central lawn.

Existing trees are embellished with seating, formal box planting and oriental-style screens. The borders are covered with permanent shrubs ranging from tree ferns to Mediterranean lavenders.

Planting diversity is evident with herbaceous perennials added, such as irises, peonies and penstemons integrated in with the shrubs.

A new summerhouse faces the house and adds great value to the garden and complements the architecture of the house.