Garden Design,
Kent

A garden on three sides of a Grade II listed Georgian farmhouse was in need of a complete redesign. The clients wanted a garden which was in keeping with the house architecture, particularly at the front of the house which had some fine Georgian detailing. They also wanted a wildlife friendly garden, packed with interesting and unusual plants with year round interest, a small Japanese inspired garden with a water feature, an area of lawn and an area of meadow, a vegetable garden and a new lean-to greenhouse.

Kristina created a formal front garden with a quartered parterre style layout, with low hedges, sawn sandstone paths and exuberant cottage style planting based around English roses and colourful gauzy perennials. Pleached crab apple trees with an estate metal fence and bespoke wrought iron gate, by Joel Tarr Blacksmith, form the divide through to a small corner Japanese inspired water garden with a central pond with a ‘Yatsuhashi’ zig-zag oak plank bridge across it. There is also a small stone bowl and bamboo spout water fountain with a stone river boulder bench seat and the whole area planted with woodland plants, many of Japanese origin, an Acer tree and an existing Fatsia Japonica and Phyllostachys bamboo moved from elsewhere in the garden.

At the side of the house is an oval of lawn planted all round with mixed borders for year round interest, leading on to a series of flower borders planted with an array of plants, many unusual exotics, but always with an eye to year round coverage and colour. Beyond these beds is a small orchard and wildflower meadow and compost bins.

Directly to the rear of the house is a traditional vegetable garden with clay paver paths, raised wood edge vegetable beds, iron arches over the central pathway and a new lean-to cedar greenhouse along the old garden wall. 

My client was delighted, saying that they had all the elements of a large country estate in what was a relatively modest sized garden, all in balance and perfectly formed!

This garden was expertly constructed by Earthstone Landscapes and planted by Kristina and her team. 
 

This garden is due to open in 2024 for the National Garden scheme in only its second summer since planting.