Description

A 1930ís detached house in south Edinburgh with a large private sunny rear garden, largely laid to lawn, with an old tired crazy paving terrace.

Client brief

The clients, a professional couple with children were adding a Garden Room to their property. They wished to create a family garden in keeping with the style of the property, with a new terrace leading from the Garden Room. Lawns and planting beds, a second sunny sitting area in the garden, a separate semi-screened play area for the children, and utility area with coal bins and shed.

The new design, completed in spring 2006 divided the garden into four areas.

The first area was the creation of a new terrace area at the rear of the house, using a mixture of natural stone paving and gravel, with planting beds edged with natural stone setts. The planting is soft, decorative and aromatic, including herbs with tall graceful plumes of Stipa gigantea adding structural drama.

In the utility area, adjacent to the terrace, an old raised concrete plinth behind the garage was demolished, and a new shed and coal bins were located, and a new set of steps to the garage constructed. This area is screened by trellis and evergreen climbers.

Steps down from the new terrace lead to a formal lawn and planting beds, with a paved circular sunny seating area, with semi-circular pergola, clothed with fragrant climbers behind. The garden is surrounded by a mature green backdrop, so planting was designed to give year round interest in bark, berries, flowers, and evergreen leaf colour.

Finally, a pathway through semi-screening plant beds leads to a second lawn - a play area for the children with a relocated Wendy House, a swing hanging from an old apple tree and a second shed. Here the planting is more robust to take the force of footballs.