The perfect time for garden design

Winter months reveal the structure of a garden, with bare trees, evergreen shrubs and the existing architecture on show. Without distraction from the coming season’s growth, we can clearly see what’s needed to create the perfect outdoor space.

This gently flowing water feature creates a calming soundtrack in a small walled garden in Kensington.

Even garden designs and planting plans that have been completed in recent years can benefit from the fresh perspective winter affords. This is an ideal time for revealing where a new tree, shrub, or feature would complement your scheme, and where hard pruning of vigorous plants is required to redress the garden’s balance.

Here are three of our first considerations when beginning a new garden design, after exploring our clients’ tastes, aims and needs, and whether they envisage a contemporary or traditional scheme:

An outdoor chimney breast on a tall back wall creates a striking feature and focal point in this Highbury Corner garden.

1. How would you like to use your outdoor space?

One of the first things we’ll establish is your garden’s aspect, and how nearby trees and buildings affect the light levels. Which area gets the sun first, and which enjoys the afternoon and setting sun for longest? Are there any parts of your garden that are always in shade? Answering these questions helps us to design everything on your wish list, whether it’s a fire feature to congregate around, a sheltered dining space, or a children’s play area, in the perfect place. 

The fireplace and uplighting illuminate this sociable space in the evening.

2.     How can we create a journey?

Even in the smallest space, well placed elements like a false door, a stepping-stone pathway or an elevation of steps can create a journey in your garden. 

Stepping stones leading through a bed of perennials and a false door (painted in Little Green’s ‘Garden’ shade) create interest and a sense of the space continuing in this small Islington garden.

3. How can we marry the garden to the surrounding architecture?

Whether you live in a period property and would like a contemporary design, or if you’d like a garden that mirrors the era of your house, selecting materials that will compliment your home and the surrounding architecture is essential for helping your design tie together. 

A Georgian property in Holloway which has recently been developed to include a striking, modern extension, complete with roof garden. By combining contemporary and reclaimed materials, we’ve mirrored the striking contrast between old and new achieved by the architects.

When it comes to creating a planting scheme, we’ll first explore your needs and preferences. Many of our clients specifically request low maintenance gardens, and if they have young families it will be important to them that their design can tolerate some rough and tumble outdoor games without the plants or children suffering! Others wish for their design to support a long-nourished hobby of creative horticulture. 

Planting schemes are one of the last things we’ll work on after first plotting the design, structure and materials to use, hence this is wonderful work to begin in winter.  

Creating a circular seating area can transform an awkward space and gives this small Barnsbury garden a central focal point. We used red cedar horizontal trellis to draw the eye and detract from the varying heights of the boundary walls.