Projects
I absolutely love working with clients to create beautiful outdoor spaces. Alongside client projects, I have twice opened a garden with the National Garden Scheme and designed a planting scheme for the National Trust. Below are just a few featured gardens. For current projects, please follow my IG page
Rain Garden, Little Kingshill
Rain Garden, Little Kingshill
This beautiful plant filled front garden channels rain water from the roof of the house into a central gully where plant roots clean it before slowly allowing it to disperse through the garden. This has an enormously positive impact on flooding and allows the opportunity to grow a diverse range of plants. A meandering path through the planting allows visitors to feel immersed in nature and creates a real sense of arrival at the front door.
This planting might look complicated to look after, but a mix of grasses and tough herbaceous perennials means that it really only needs a tidy up a couple of times over the summer with a big cut back in early Spring. I can provide maintenance schedules for all of my planting schemes which will give you all the information you need to tend your plants.
Country Garden, Wendover
Country Garden , Wendover
The work for large gardens is often completed in phases, and these pictures are Phase 1 and 2 of the renovation of this country garden in Wendover. The clients wanted an entertaining area next to the existing hot tub and gym and this space makes use of a lovely sunny spot in the garden with views across to a meadow. The pergola creates a sheltered area which is still open to the sunshine. Planting envelops the terrace and tall grasses are used to screen the hot tub from the rest of the garden. Phase 2 was completed in Autumn 2023 to connect this area with a new terrace from the house and Phase 3 is due in 2024. Look forward to sharing pictures of the entire garden!
Garden for Wildlife, Chalfont St Peter
Wildlife garden, Chalfont St Peter
This design for a busy family, took a long narrow garden with a large level change between front and back and created different areas for everyone to enjoy, especially the bees! A space for wildlife was crucial to this brief and so plants that offered pollen and nectar all year round were planted throughout the garden.
For the humans, a dining space close to the house incorporated a built-in seat to the retaining wall as a space saving device, and a decent sized lawn for their daughter to play on was created. A second seated area away from the house was also built so that the couple could enjoy drinks with friends of an evening and not disturb their child.
The design was produced at a 45° angle in order that there was as much of journey as possible through the space and so that the planting enveloped the different areas.
Family Garden, Little Kingshill, Great Missenden
The owners of this family garden had inherited a space which was overgrown, old fashioned and completely unsuitable for themselves or their young family. Over the course of a year and a half, I helped them to completely redesign their outside space with areas for the children to play, outdoor dining, seating with fire pit and a pizza oven.
The planting is low maintenance but also enables the owners to spend a little time gardening which they enjoy. Dividing the garden into sections has enabled them to spend time together as a family but also allow the children’s play area not to dominate their outdoor space.
Herbaceous borders, Little Missenden
The large herbaceous borders flanking the entrance to this lovely house in Little Missenden, Buckinghamshire, had become overgrown and neglected before the current owners purchased it.
By supplementing some of the existing planting with architectural foliage and repeat blocks of perennial and ground cover plants, I was able to tie the space together into a more cohesive whole. Spring flowering bulbs and late flowering Asters means that there are flowers from March to October.
Woodland Garden, Great Missenden
There were some gorgeous existing trees in this lovely little woodland style garden but the shrubs had become overgrown and some of the perennials had run rampant. I edited out the plants that weren’t working and introduced some repeating plants such as Hydrangea arborescent ‘Annabelle’, Astrantia major ‘Roma’ and the lovely native ground cover plant Gallium odoratum.
I also planted a bulb meadow in the centre of the space to add to the slight sense of wildness in this garden.
The planting creates a beautiful, romantic feel and a space that you just want to sit in with a glass of wine on a warm evening.
Colourful garden, Flackwell Heath
The brief for this lovely walled Front Garden was for vibrant colour. As the view was to be seen all year round, I chose evergreen shrubs and grasses with hues that would tie in with the colours of the brick.
Pops of rich purple Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’, bright orange Geum ‘Totally Tangerine’ and later in the season Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’, will help ensure there is something good to look at throughout all of the seasons.
National Trust: Hughenden Manor
An unsafe Cedar of Lebanon had been felled on the North Lawn at Hughenden Manor in Bucks. The beautiful roots of the tree remained but they were being destroyed by visitors climbing on them for a better look at the Manor. I created a planting plan with species that would thrive in the specific conditions found amongst the roots.