Set in the heart of a large estate in rural Essex, the owners of this walled garden wanted to transform an old vegetable garden into a tranquil escape. Having recently installed a new garden building which included a spa and gym, the owners wanted a beautiful garden to look out to. Llevelo were commissioned to design a new walled garden to replace a tired vegetable garden that existed before.
Given the nearby spa, Llevelo reimagined the garden as an outdoor space that would foster calm and inspiration. We crafted a concept design that focused on a relaxing style but included just the right amount of interesting detail for the owners to enjoy throughout the seasons.
There are several distinct features within this walled garden including five multi-stem specimen trees. These are trees are Prunus serrula ‘Branklyn’ which have the signature rich burgundy stems Prunus serrula is more well known for. It was always the intention that the colour palette would focus on soft pinks and these stems combine beautifully with such colour.
The main feature plant was a large cloud pruned tree which is an Ilex crenata, more commonly known as holly.
Cloud trees are brilliant plants to train into a shape and will thrive for many years to come on this sandy, protected site. Cloud trees are not a natural form but are trained in this way and need maintenance to keep their cloud shape. Ilex crenata is evergreen and was positioned in line with the main spa to ensure if could be appreciated throughout the year.
A spot beneath a large oak tree in the south west facing corner offers afternoon sun so a seating area was placed here. As its very sheltered, we were able to include more tender plants such as two tree ferns.
Whilst these need protecting in the winter, the heat from the brick wall and the large oak tree nearby create a microclimate for the tree ferns. It’s a myth that these plants need to be in shade; they are fine in some sun so long as they have sufficient water.
Unusually, tree ferns don’t have roots at the base of the stem like other plants but instead are watered at the top of the main trunk. Watering these plants is quite fun; the water trickles out of them stem as it soaks down to the ground. If the plant is dry, more water will leak out; if it is adequately watered, the stem is essentially fully saturated and less water can be seen. Central to the seating area is a concrete fire table which is connected to the mains gas. This ensures the clients can have instant heat whenever they are ready for it.
One special hard landscaping feature was the water feature we included. Llevelo designed the concept and completed the design intention drawings before working with a specialist contractor to refine the specification. The water feature ‘starts’ within a raised section; a large urn to a height of 1.2 meters sits on top of a plinth covered in water. The plinth sits just below the water level to give the impression of the urn floating.
Llevelo worked with the urn fabricator to create a lovely rippled texture allowing the water to trickle down the urn randomly. Water then flows into an ‘L’ shaped rill which is positioned around the entrance terrace.
Two bespoke York stone pavers were commissioned to sit in the rill allowing access to different areas of the garden and, again, appear to be floating. These large oversized stone steps have a soft bull nosed corners and strip lights sitting beneath. The former is a style detail whilst the latter allows for evening ambiance.
Positioned near the seating area, the trickle of water can be appreciated throughout the day from both inside the garden building and the outside seating space.
On one of the walls we created an interesting vertical planting feature using Trachelospermum jasminoides. We planted 18 of these climbing plants at 1 meter centres and trained them against the wall at 45 degree angles. The result is a striking criss cross pattern. Being evergreen plants means this feature will be present throughout the year.
Climbing and rambling roses adorn the walls elsewhere including our favourite: Rosa ‘Paul’s Himalayan Musk’
In the centre of the garden are three shallow pots with yew balls (Taxus baccata).
Although relatively young, these balls will fill the pots which will eventually create a spherical shape. The pots are perched on plinths with a low yew hedge to conceal the plinths which gives the impression of the pots floating.
This combination of pots and planting can be seen from further afield and act as a draw into the Essex walled garden but can not be seen from the spa.
Sitting in a ‘blind spot’ from the building, ensures this feature will not become too tiresome.
In one corner but visible from both seating areas, sits a bronze statue of a young lady reading. Bull nose coping gives an elegant look to the plinth base she sits on.
This garden was filled with unique features whilst maintaining a sense of space to ensure we created a calming feel. Our stable design rules include the use of focal points; the balance of mass and void; interest through texture and form; lines of sight; seating for different times of the day; vertical interest and seasonal continuity amongst others.
The planting palette had a green base with pockets of colour throughout. The strong use of green and evergreens helps give the garden a feeling of calm throughout the year. All images were taken just nine months of garden being planted.
