Sylvan Sanctuary

The brief

Our journey with this client began with a simple but powerful brief: to breathe life and tranquility into a neglected paddock area to the rear of the property. The cornerstone of the design is a newly installed, natural-style pool, and our task was to craft a sophisticated planting scheme that would blur the lines between garden and wilderness.  This project, which began as a consultancy, quickly evolved into a full scale planting design, with Elaine guiding the client from concept to completion. He chose to work with us because of the quality and size of plants we stock (mature plants for instant impact) and our specialist knowledge.

The planting design

Around the pool edge and in the background, there is a mix of grasses and perennial flowers with lilac and ochre accents. The low shrubs, offering texture and colour contrast. This planting is very much prairie style, inspired by the Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf.

Tranquillity and Privacy

The design features lush, layered planting that creates a soft, natural feel around the hard landscaping. Around the pool edge and in the background, we mixed ornamental grasses, perennial flowers and low evergreen shrubs offering texture and colour contrast.

The property benefits from many existing mature trees along the border which helped provide a sense of seclusion and to blend the new planting against this natural backdrop.

We were commissioned to build a bespoke Corten steel and Cedar bench, positioned to create an engaging and comfortable focal point that encourages relaxation and appreciation of the landscape as a whole with a direct view across the garden.

Beyond the pool, the Swedish wood-burning hot tub is nestled amongst herbaceous perennials and ornamental trees. The planting scheme in this part of the garden deliberately uses late flowering perennials that add colour well into autumn. We used Verbena Bonariensis and Rudbeckia.

Overall Effect

The garden is bathed in bright sunlight, highlighting the deep green of the pool water and the vibrancy of the foliage. It conveys a strong sense of tranquillity, modern design balanced with natural beauty, and a luxurious outdoor living space. The mix of soft planting and natural materials adds to the feeling of comfort and well-being.