Garden design, garden planning, garden layout, planting plants and planting schemes

Garden landscaping design featuring distinguishing values

Posted on July 22nd, 2010

Limestone Paving

Since the begining we have remained steadfast to our belief that the business of designing and building gardens, is hard but also exciting. Each project has some unique elements, but what binds our focus to all of our projects is the determination to be creative and construct a garden with distinguishing characteristics and one to exceed client expectations. But the process is a collaborative effort with clients and the goal is to realise a garden which will not simply impress but more importantly one which will be exciting to admire and enjoyable to use. 

Many of the elements which feature one might argue are not NEW  in a modern context, but very traditional like Natural stone, Formal planting, Open spaces but with practical enclosures , Water features, Garden lighting. But I believe part of the beauty or the success is how we manage to combine various elements in a sensitive way to achieve very interesting compositions of planted areas and living spaces. The core distinguishing values which feature in many of our garden projects are directly related to the traditional inputs of creativity and quality (natural) materials combined in a thoughtful but crafted construction.

The gentle but appealing attraction of Bay Laurel Standards never fails

The graceful beauty of the Olive tree - a modern classic

Water features opportunity for balancing vision with sound

Bounded by Limestone and only days after installation, signs of growth appear in the new lawn.

The fencing provides a dramatic backdrop for the low maintenance Mixed Planting group in a distinctive Sandstone Raised Bed

Outdoor Living (Limestone Patio) - space to share, relax and enjoy

Contrasting Natural Beauty - the delicate geometry of the Agapanthus Albus and the rugged drystone finish of the Sandstone wall

Limestone Patios – a dark and distinctive appeal

Posted on July 14th, 2010

Limestone paving may not be quite as popular as the more lighter tones of Sandstone, but unquestionably Limestone is a beautiful example of natural paving. Similar to all natural paving which when wet, the colours appear much more vibrant, but few will match the distinctive appeal of Limestone.  The bold dark tones of natural Limestone are perhaps more evocative of a modern urban design but are reminiscent of a bolder and more confident colour scheme and a perfect contrast to the brighter colour palettes of planting and lawn areas.

And because of its natural darker tones, Limestone paving also has the distinct advantage of reduced maintenance and less cleaning.

Granite Garden Design and Landscaping

Posted on June 27th, 2010

Detail of Bullnosed Granite Wall Capping

Granite is such a wonderfully beautiful natural stone, so versatile, it can look good in classic as well as contemporary garden design settings. Always looking good and always easy to maintain, being bright  it can also make the available space look much bigger. Although available in a range of sizes, colours and finishes, bush hammered silver grey is perhaps the most popular choice. Here are some updates from another current project which features granite throughout the garden ie patios, pathways, wall capping for Raised Beds as well as Granite setts for delineating the perimeter lawn edge and triims to patios, patios and water feature. Here all construction work has been completed, soil levels are being adjusted for commencement of planting stage but before doing so we are allowing any residual weed to develop and areas sprayed to eradicate any lingering weed.

The layout might appear harsh to some but when all planting has been completed this will add a beautiful vivid green contrast to the current stark appearance of the granite to create a more refined balance of contemporary modern urban beauty.

Granite paving provides an effective bright & clean finish

Defined lines, consistent jointing and seamless transition to garden area

View towards rear garden and Granite capped Raised Planting Bed

View towards main Granite Patio and Rear Garden Shed

Seamless transition, no steps from House to Patio areas

Granite capped Raised Planting Beds along perimeter

Granite Pathway with granite sett edging

Granite setts at Raised Planting Bed also provides an easy mowing edge

Granite wall capping an excellent finish as well as a useful seating area

Bullnosed Granite Wall capping features an attractive rounded edge

Granite paved Patio areas demand high levels of finishing

Small Garden Design Ideas – Raised Beds

Posted on June 2nd, 2010

RAISED BEDS featuring pressure treated PINE SLEEPERS

Raised Bed with sweeping curve layout

An important challenge in designing and building Small Gardens is to utilise the available space to provide practical and visual interest. Raised Beds which can be be constructed in a range of materials and in different sizes and formats are a very useful design idea or feature for the small garden. Not only do they provide easy access and easier maintenance of plants but can be a feature within the garden area. In this example we have used pressure treated Pine Sleepers to construct the Raised Bed and another interesting aspect of this example is the layout, ie a combination of gentle arc and linear layouts reflecting the sweeping curves of the lawn areas.

Another aspect is the inclusion of herbaceous planting at ground level in front of the Sleepers to provide a two tier arrangement to the planted are. The photos show the excellent Scabiosa columabria ‘Pink Mist’, which reaches 25-45cm (Raised Planter Bed is 45cm) and produces beautiful pink flowers from June – September each year. Some spacing between the Scabiosa was left for additional planting of Spring bulbs. 

Raised beds are an easily accessible and eyecatching idea for inclusion in small garden areas with sweeping curves offering additional interest in contrast to the more usual linear layouts.

Raised Bed with foreground planting at ground level

RAISED BEDS add a new level and focus to the garden

Small Garden Design – Small Garden Landscaping

Posted on May 29th, 2010

A current project reflects the many typical or broad challenges encountered in designing and building small gardens. Frequently such gardens have particular challenges, eg poor or inadequate space during sunny spells, no provision for storage space, uneven or sloping irregularities in lawns, arbitrary division of soft and hard landscaping areas, lack of focal points. All of these points although individually not too serious but collectively conspire to make the small garden uninspiring, uninviting and underutilised.

Here are some photos from early stages of project, commencement of site clearance through the stages of development Patio construction, groundworks and levelling. A very interesting aspect of this particular project was the decision to paint the boundary fencing which providing a very clean, unified and interesting background for planting later on. Also painting the new Garden Shed in same colour was also a simple example of how to make the ubiqitous garden shed less conspicuous within the garden.

Later on I will post photos of the completed project which I believe illustrate how creative small garden design combined competent and careful landscaping produce an exciting garden space that is packed with practical features, inspiring colours and an exciting outdoor living space.

Designs for Small Gardens

Posted on May 27th, 2010

Morning Patio

Afternoon/Evening Patio

The design of small gardens is particularly challenging to deterimine the optimum space allocation for the Patio and Planting areas as well as the practical demands for Utilities like waste bins, clothes lines etc. Despite the lack of space it is still possible to achieve a layout which is not only pleasing and practical but also on a modest budget. 

Simple sweeping Stepping Stone Pathway

A recent project example illustrates some of these points, in which we provided the happy owner with two Sandstone Patios (Morning and Evening Sun), a series of sweeping curves to delineate the planted areas (Raised Sandstone Kerbing) and an informal but eye catching Stepping stone path which links the two Patios across a modest area of bright and cheerful stone chippings.

Sandstone Kerbing for clear but effective retention of planted areas

Despite the compactness of the area, I believe a little imagination is all that is required to design and build affordable Small Gardens which are visually interesting, easy to maintain and where the space has been handled in a very practical and appealing way. Who says everything must be straightlined or linear. Even in small spaces, sweeping gentle curves also play a vital role within the overall design.

Good Common Gardening

Posted on May 5th, 2010

Jaded and overgrown

Despite the narrow margin, the planting looks very untidy

A recent planting project involved replacing a generally cumbersome, jaded and overgrown planting scheme which bordered a common entrance to an attractive and surprisingly peaceful enclave of detached bungalows in a Dublin suburb.  Although the project scope was rather modest, it clearly demonstrates as a simple but effective example of practical plant selection with appealling results. The pressure treated Pine sleepers provided a raised edge to enclose the feature planting area comprising of a wide variety of primarily evergreen but also deciduous trees and shrubs.

A range of attractive coloured foliage complemented with an extended flowering season ensures very good appeal throughout the year. Simple planting for this common area for all to enjoy and with many shrubs not exceeding a height and spread of less than 900mm, there will be little effort required to maintain this planting scheme.

Granite Garden Patios

Posted on April 29th, 2010

Work is proceeding on new garden project and as can be seen from the photos, Boundary walls are being rendered, Raised Perimeter Planting Beds almost ready for Granite Wall Capping and the Granite garden patio is becoming more evident. Despite the typical appearance of building ‘work in progress’, the signs are present of the emergence of a distinctive modern urban garden.

Garden Landscaping with Granite

Posted on April 24th, 2010

In direct contrast to the rather blissful ‘constaints’ of designing and constructing Show Gardens for exhibitions,  the process of designing and implementating real gardens for real clients with real needs and preferences, demands a level of skill and practical know how to not only meet client expectations but in doing so to overcome all of the many site related obstacles or constraints. Here’s an example from a current project which from the outset sets out from design through the various construction stages and planting but hopefully a helpful insight into the process of designing and constructing a new garden from scratch. A nice house in a leafy suburb which the owners have decided to re-model and modernise. Despite the garden losing some space due to the expanded  house, the importance of the garden has also expanded. The design for the site reflects a formal layout which maximises outdoor living space, retain as much lawn area as possible,   privacy is important but so too is an open sunny aspect. Owners would like to see a contemporary look, architectural forms are important, but so is a colour scheme that is relaxing rather than congested and too fussy. 

As the design is implemented I hope to achieve a layout which is reflective of the architectural style of the ‘new’ house, simple delineations evident throughout but also quality of execution which is critical to reflecting well defined spaces. Simple forms in hard and soft landscaping details will replace complex shapes, structural forms reflecting clearly defined architectural forms. Over the coming weeks as this new garden emerges from the residual debris and clutter of a ‘building site’, I hope to be able to demonstrate the beauty and visual compatability of using natural granite paving and distinctive plant forms in our efforts to create a modern family garden with distinct  landscaping characteristics but also a garden which fulfills the typical contemporary expectations in a private suburban space.

As good then if not better than now

Posted on March 29th, 2010

Our first garden project to be completed in 2010 featured some of the strong design elements which were also popular in 2009 and I have no doubt that in 2029 this garden will also look equally as good then if not even better than now! 

Key elements include a green backdrop (here we simply painted the existing fencing) to provide a warm but contrasting backdrop against which plant form and colour appears much more distinctive, Ravena Sandstone paving for the morning and afternoon Patio areas but also a sweeping pathway which links both Patios and access to Garden Shed. For added impact and friendly garden for the young family, we included two Raised beds constructed from Pressure treated Pine sleepers, and yes, not all Raised Beds must be or are linear. I particularly like the curved Raised bed which amongst other plants features the rather interesting but compact but heavy cropping apple fruit tree (“Coronet”).

The Raised beds will provide a simple but exciting way for the parents to engage with their young family and collectively enjoy ‘family gardening’. Yes it certainly is very exciting and rewarding to see the younger generation develop early interest in plants and outdoor spaces. An dyes I have no doubt this new garden will bring lots of fun, learning and shared experiences to all, and I have no doubt that long after we are gone, it will be as good then if not better than now.