Low maintenance, high impact

The brief

To create a modern, low maintenance garden with informal gravel planting inspired by our client’s native homeland of Australia. However, the property is a British Grade II listed cottage in a conservation area and had a deep-rooted feel of a cottage garden. It was a challenge to respect the heritage of the property whilst satisfying the client’s brief. 

The design

This garden now feels like a calm, modern retreat; a space designed for both relaxation and quiet focus. The setting blends contemporary architecture with soft, natural planting.

soft landscaping

To achieve this look we used:

• Myrtus
• Dicksonia antarctica
• Callistemon
• Cistua x argenteus ‘Silver Pink’
• Acacia dealabata
• Eucalyptus gunnii ‘France Bleu”
• Astelia ‘Silver Shadow’

The planting is interspersed with gravel areas to give the illusion of space and intrigue as you journey through the garden. The use of gravel is also for the more practical purpose of allowing this garden to be low maintenance as it traps moisture and therefore requires less watering. It was important to include the existing  Apple tree for it’s quirky originality as part of the planting plan.

Elements used

• Lighting
• Irrigation

Client’s comments

“The garden has shaped up wonderfully well and I am very proud of it, the team have done extremely well.”