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

Growing your own – raise your levels

Posted on November 14th, 2009

What better way to start your own vegetable garden than raising the ground levels and highlighting with appealing finish such as Sandstone walling complete with perimeter planting of Box hedging and Holly standard specimens.

Vegetable gardens need not look like mere working areas, but with a little creative thinking and skillful construction can make a distinctive addition to any garden.

So if you are planning on growing your own fruit and vegetables, pay some attention to the structural form, and by raising the ground levels, you’re not only creating ideal growing environment with enhanced soil and drainage conditions, but also the prospects of another appealing focal point.

Landscaping with Ravena Sandstone paving

Posted on August 6th, 2009

A recent garden landscaping project completed in Blackrock, Dublin incorporated an interesting combination of features including Extended Patio areas, sweeping Sandstone Garden pathway, Sandstone Raised Bed which amongst other items included a Mill Wheel water feature, some very attractive Olive Standards, a new  fence constructed from pressure treated Timber cladding and discreet lighting using the latest high output low energy LED lighting.

The photos were taken during wet conditions which perhaps is useful to see how beautifully vivid and varied the colours of natural Sandstone can be. In this project the Sandstone paving (and wall capping) is Ravena, an increasingly popular alternative choice to the more widely used Sandstone Mint. Ravena appeals to those who prefer to have a more muted tones in dry conditions to the ubiquitous yellow tones typical of Sandstone Mint. Another feature of Ravena is the pink/wine colourways which are much more evident during wet conditions. On closer examination some hints of the yellow tones are also visible.

The Raised Planted Bed was constructed using White Sandstone and the wall capping is of course Ravena sandstone. The layout was designed to be essentially one level thus maximising the use of the various areas and also  providing some additional flexibility to the use of the recessed paved area. This approach also influenced the layout of the Raised bed which was essentially linear but incorporated a full circle to circumvent the Mill Wheel water feature which the clients were keen to incorporate in the new scheme. Looking at the photos the colour of the Mill Wheel is remarkably similar to the Ravena Sandstone.

I would also like to point out the results of the skill and workmanship in several aspects of the paved areas including the linear and curve cutting and installation. Grass margins were re-defined to conform with the new levels set by the paving hence the extended soil areas adjoining the old lawn and new paved sections.

Frequently we receive feedback on how useful and informative our SUNBLOG is to readers seeking design and layout ideas.  I also receive requests from readers to show more ‘Before’ as well as ‘After’ photos from our project portfolio. So here are a few ‘Before’ photos from this particular project.  

Beehive Water Feature

Posted on May 2nd, 2009

Here’s a water feature guaranteed to create some buzz in the garden. A few photos from our latest landscaping project features a garden water feature made from slate and constructed in the form of an old Beehive.  

The distinctive form as well as the soothing and mesmerizing effects as the sunlight catches the running water makes for an overall  striking focal point within the sandstone constructed Raised Planter bed. 

The specimen planting (Pseudosassa japonica and Chamaerops humilis) as well as the foreground planting of Acorus ogon and Rhododendron Baden Baden provide interesting foliage forms making for an overall appealing composition.   

Low Maintenance Garden Design

Posted on April 21st, 2009

 As is so often the case with designing in small spaces, the big big challenge is drawing a balance between looking good but yet having sufficient space in which to enjoy it. Recently I had the pleasure and opportunity to return to a garden which we had designed and built almost two years ago. The clients I am delighted to say are still very happy, in fact they say they love the garden! As do their two beautiful young children! So it was very good that I had this opportunity because it also helped me to correct an earlier oversight when I had forgotten to take any photos of the project when it was completed.  

By way of background, the site is located in an old Dublin suburb near the sea, a period house would describe the external architecture, but the clients had been planning a major refurrbishment to completely re-model and modernise the interiors. I was invited at a very early stage even before the architect had completed his designs, to meet the clients (well technically at the time they would have been ‘prospective clients’)  and discuss posssibities and potential for designing the garden.

In essence they were seeking a garden which would be more contemporary than traditional, low maintenance and would be family friendly, plants were also to be child (very young) friendly but appealing to adults, and also be bold but space efficient. The new building design had effectively split the garden area into two sub sections. The main garden area was to be the lawn area where parents and children would play and the second area would be the location for the patio for  socialising with family and  friends. The architect had designed the boundary of the interior and exterior in a such a clever but effective way whereby the garden was fully visible from anywhere from the back of the house. The house was south facing so was getting plenty of daytime sunshine but had some intrusive details and required more privacy (as the before photos illustrate). Also what is not apparent from the ‘before’ photos is that a significant chunk of the original garden area would be lost to the new house layout putting more pressure on the layout of the garden design.  A further point worth noting was that the boundary walls were in very poor condition and it was agreed that with the exception of the old rubble/limestone wall on the east side which was to be tidied up but retained, the other boundary walls would be demolished, rebuilt and the sand & cement rendered finish would be painted in a light tone to reflect the proposed interior style and colour scheme and simultaneously provide a distinct contrast with the rubble wall. 

This design project made an early but strong case for utilising a stone which would discreetly reflect the characteristics of the new architectural style but expressed in a bright but confident style. Large floor to ceiling high glazed panels created a seamless transition from garden to house and plenty of potential to observe a ‘panoramic’ view of the garden areas.  The split between play and patio areas was also emphasised by the juxtapositioning of both areas. In order to create the illusion of more space all planting was selected for locating in Raised Planting Beds with the  key advantage that such planting would be more visible but also easier to maintain.  For impact , some very attractive Architectural specimens including chamerops, trachycarpus as well as some topiary examples of ligustrum were used. Low level planting featured Acorus Ogon, Euonymus emerald gold, Convolvulus cneorem and Hebe Heartbreaker.  Lighting was discreet but evident as was the ‘S’ shaped Stainless Steel Water feature. The stone selected for the paving (patio and pathway) areas etc was granite, with the additional bonus that it made an ideal material for use as capping stone for both the new Boundary walls as well as the Raised Planting Beds. A selection of photos show some key features, and note that this is the garden, two years later! 

View of Rear wall.

In my opinion the garden looks every bit as fresh today as it did two years ago and I will be confident that it will continue to look well. One of the clients made  avery interesting comment about how little effort was required to keep the garden in shape. She said “it take such little effort, I sometimes forget to do it”.  Now that’s what I’d call low maintenance. I’m particularly proud of this project because it illustrates simply but effectively, that it is possible to mix classic and modern styles in such a way and in a comparitively small sized modern sub-urban garden. The results speak for themselves, despite the rather simple layout, each area has some uniqueness but yet at the same time share a common style/identity. They also meet the functional requirements of the owners and various users. In design terms the overall impression is modern and emphasised by the colour and materials used. The owners lifestyle is probably typical of young modern Irish families,  which love the garden not so much perhaps for the planting, yes of course they are important but  rather the overall enjoyment and satisfaction comes from I suppose of the time spent in the garden with their  young children or entertaining with friends.  It is very often this sense of achievement, helping clients get more fun, get more use from the outdoor space, which makes us feel privileged but fortunate to be landscapers. Good garden design is not just about nice looking aesthetics but getting more fun and use from this critically important aspect of our living space.

Urban Garden Design

Posted on April 15th, 2009

Some photos from a recent project illustrate how functional design together with a well executed installation can provide very rewarding results in  a garden which is practical, functional and eye catching. To achieve an appealing and successful outcome, requires from the outset  clarity of design requirements and good searching discussions with clients are an ideal means to determine a design layout and style of finish that will comply with prescribed criteria. As always, our approach is consistent throughout all of our projects irrespective of size, location or indeed budget. For us the challenge as designers is not to merely meet client needs but to exceed client expectations.  In this instance the client was anxious to rectify an earlier error in which a large and cumbersome looking composite decking had been installed the previous year. The client’s disappointment with the decking was such to to effectively suspend any further development of the garden. Eager to seek a fresh evaluation of area the client contacted us for a meeting to discuss and explore the deisgn potential. Arising from discussions and preparations of costings,  a design was developed which satisfied the client’s wishes and preferences.

It became clear during the early stages of the design discussions,  that the client had been attracted to the design of one of our earlier projects. Also, it emerged through discussions on options that the decking had to go.  This was subsequently clarified and it was agreed to remove the decking and replace it with natural granite paving of silver grey hues. Other finishes included the use of guillotined  grey sandstone for the construction of the Raised Planting Beds and that the wall and fencing was to be cladded with our weatherboard (shiplap) finish and painted a dark colour. We agreed that black would provide a highly defined background, but rather than worry about possible illusions of less space but instead select plants with distinctive colour foliage and forms to effectively contrast and stand out against the dark background.  Other factors which influenced plant selection included that the plants be relatively low maintenance and also be capable of withstanding some of the playful advances of the family’s pet dog. Some aspects also required consideration including screening on the left side (Street Light)  and rear (neighbouring houses).  The end results are refreshing and illustrate very well how  a practical layout can provide more interesting layouts, better views and a sense of more planned and open space which results in an area which is more appealing and make for better use and greater enjoyment of the garden. Which is not a bad thing today.