Fluid Garden
TRING
On a long, sloping and chalky site, we transformed the difficult terrain into an opportunity for plants and people to flow through the garden. Where once, bare lawn and ungainly shrubs offered little attraction and obscured views from the house, now colour, form and movement prevail.
The client wanted a beautiful garden to care for which made sense of the level changes, opened up views and incorporated a specific floral aesthetic - pinky-purple flowers speckled with orange, set amongst ornamental grasses. With year-round swathes of colour and structure, using over 120 species, this innovative and sensitive design fulfilled her brief beyond expectations…
“I cannot believe this garden is mine.
It’s achingly beautiful
and has transformed our lives.”
Before and After
Drawings
What makes the garden?
Structure
Structure defines the Fluid Garden. Strategically located domes of yew and beech topiary act as focal points that guide movement through the garden indicating axis and destinations. These clipped forms hold the logic of the garden together throughout the passage of the seasons.
Swimming Pool
A 10m swimming pool is the nexus of the garden. The azure blue jumps out to contrast the Chiltern brick and vibrant lawn. The surrounding patio is generous and its steps flow seamlessly into the garden on all sides.
Planting
Naturalistic grasses and perennials weave amongst the topiary structure. 250m2 of planting wends its way up and around a new swimming pool, over sloping terrain and into elegantly shaped borders that flow with gentle grasses and pop with seasonal colour.
Seating
A new patio rests gently at the top of the garden, providing a perfect spot to host a lunch or enjoy an evening drink. Its raised position and centrality in the plan commands views over the pool, garden and landscape beyond, whilst its minimal structure allows it to recede and become a pathway when not in use.
Green House
A new green house nestles comfortably aslant from the pool with a cold frame and brick raised bed attached, equipping the owner with a perfect environment for raising her vegetables.
Pathways
A narrow brick path swoops off from the green house, past the prairie border and on towards the orchard with its compost heap. The slender design sufficient just for feet and a wheelbarrow, preserving as much greenery as possible in the heart of the garden.
