Your Garden Made Perfect Series 2 Ep 4 David and Agata

This is a family garden of two halves with a gentle wooded area dedicated to children’s play whilst the areas closer to the house are designed for relaxation and entertaining. Planting defines 3 spaces for dining, relaxing and cooking. The sofa terrace is positioned for parents to relax and enjoy the garden whilst also keeping a close eye. A great place to watch the sun go down, away from the noise of the road. Large shrubs/small trees obscure neighbouring windows. Being outside is good for you and it is the green stuff that brings the benefits. Small, narrow beds limit planting choice and require effort to keep to the allotted space. Far better to create beds with space for plants to reach full size. You can simply leave them from one year to the next giving you time to sit with a cup of tea on comfy furniture watching it grow. The existing deck and terrace were reconfigured to provide to small seating areas and address both the steep drop and harsh look and feel.

The existing garden had lovely mown paths through long grass under the delicate shade of the trees and it was important not to lose this. A wildflower seat and tunnel are set around a labyrinth. Great for play but also quiet spaces when the rest of the garden is used for entertaining and may feel overwhelming. New tree plantings future proof the woodland. Four fruit trees were added, great for children. The labyrinth, a pattern of paths that weaves around a central point, adds to the mown path idea. For some sitting is a great way to relax – but for others walking, the repetition of steps is calming and as the path ahead is clear you don’t need to think about where you are going, a form of mindfulness. This is not a maze which has multiple routes, dead ends and high sides blocking your view. Mazes are designed to make you feel uncomfortable, to spook you! Formed of long grass and wildflowers this labyrinth is low and soft, no feeling of being trapped, rather the comfort of knowing you can simply step out of the space. We added in some ornamental grasses to give a winter outline to the labyrinth – so that it can be walked throughout the year and also to ease cutting in the Spring when the lawn and wildflowers start back into growth.

Images Copyright: Elks-Smith Rendered Design images