Redesign of large country garden, Gillingham, Dorset

The original house had been extended and the car park area changed so the whole entrance into the garden and access to the house had to be rethought.  The solution was to move the double entrance gates to meet the path which had been moved and lengthened to create flow from the entrance to the house.  The car park area was turfed over with space kept for a new pergola.  Finally a lilac tree – Syringa ‘Katherine Havemeyer’  was planted garden side in the middle of the new curved wall to provide an element of privacy. 

Main entrance before
Main entrance after
Main entrance after

 

A huge photinia hedge was taken out and two existing oval borders removed from the middle of the lawn and then new borders  were created above and below the existing stone wall with planting kept to a palette of purple, white and orange.  

Main garden before
Main garden after

Plants included Lavandula x intermedia ‘Grappenhall’, Achillea ‘Terracotta’, Geranium ‘Rozanne’ and Perovskia ‘Small Spires’ with Erigeron karvanskianos used to tumble over the stone edge of the wall.  Hebe rakaensis and Euonymous ‘Silver Queen’ were used for structure together with existing roses.  

 

 

A small border was also introduced around the existing patio and planted with mainly silver and purple plants including Cistus x purpureusConvolvulus cneorumLavandula augustifolia ‘Hidcote’ with dark pink and purple aubretia for edging.

Patio before
Patio after