Small Garden Design
This small garden in Colchester, Essex had measured just 10m x 10m (33′ x 33′) and was heavily overlooked to the rear. The brief was for a contemporary finish which they could entertain friends and family in.
The house was raised above the garden by approximately 1.5m (6′) so the lack of privacy was especially prevalent as it was possible for the neighbours to see straight into the clients kitchen. To address this, we planted pleached Hornbeam along the rear of the garden but to add extra height, we did so in a raised border.
The additional advantage of the border was that the walls were a perfect height for visitors to rest on when the main seating was all occupied.
As entertainment was a prominent part of the brief, we centralised a relaxed seating area. The furniture was all mobile but we installed a low wall to ensure it was anchored. The walls were all rendered in a light off-white which allowed light to bounce and contrasted with the black slate paving.
Social Gardens
On the other side of the wall, we planted 6 small Olive trees so the wall had the additional advantage of offering a clean backdrop to these. The trees were prominent from the main access point and led the eye to the rear border which was underplanted with woodlanders.
A bench and small fire pit in one corner gave this area purpose. Mixed paving also added textural interest and helped in breaking up the expanse of hard landscaping.
Planting was kept very simple with the majority being evergreen or tree based. This meant the prominent outlook was luscious year round.
Creating a central focal point with smaller focal points around this worked very well to really make the most of this small space and we were even invited to the clients first party to celebrate!
