This “before” picture clearly illustrates the problems this garden faced. It was a reasonably new house and the developers had terraced the garden using ugly, grey concrete blocks. The top level was over 3 metres deep and being such a shallow plot, it was essential that we made this an accessible and usable part of the garden.
A stainless steel water shute is fitted into the sleeper wall and cascades onto cobbles below. LED lights have been incorporated into the overall lighting scheme so that the water feature is transformed at night by subtle blue tinged lighting.
The curving staircase leads up to a platform where a further three steps take you up to the large deck. Around the deck, the surface has been covered by a weed suppressing membrane and gravel. Seams of cobbles, interspersed by planting and several large boulders add interest and texture.
A small area of lawn replaced the existing bark chip. Large trellis panels create screening and will eventually be covered by climbers. The curve of the sleeper wall is echoed by the steps leading up to the top area of garden, whilst sturdy posts and a rope rail provide a safe support.
One of our main objectives was to replace or cover the ugly concrete retaining wall. After discussions with our contractors, it was decided to keep the retaining wall intact and create a wall in-front made from new oak sleepers. This enabled us to curve the wall in a sinuous fashion, making it a real feature of the garden, instead of an eyesore.
Terraced Garden
Our brief for this project was to provide the clients with a garden that was perfect for daytime and evening entertaining. We needed to make the entire garden usable, visually attractive and with a definite WOW! factor. It needed to be reasonably low maintenance, whilst creating a colourful and exotic planting mix suitable for the sunny aspect of the garden. The existing patio was extended and reshaped so that it could accommodate a large table and chairs, and a small lawn was added to soften the hard landscaping. An upper decked seating area was installed for relaxation, or informal dining, whilst a sail, supported by angled posts, provides some welcome shade. Ambient lighting was included to highlight key planting and features. |
