Garden Tour: Clever Curves Bring Beauty to a Modest Outdoor Space
A plain plot of lawn is transformed to create a beautifully landscaped garden for the owners to enjoy all year round
For a mother and daughter who love plants, this garden is perfect. Designer Fiona Green, of Green Tree Garden Design Ltd, created a series of circular lawns, connected by a winding path that allows her clients to take a slow walk through their outdoor space, enjoying the pretty planting as they go.
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This article is from our Most Popular stories file
The path eventually leads to a seating area at the rear, which is the sunniest spot in the garden.
The colour scheme was inspired by the younger of the two owners. “My client showed me a pair of hot pink trousers as inspiration,” explains Green, “so I used this as the basis for the scheme. I chose geranium ‘Patricia’ because it’s more or less the same colour.”
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The overall colour scheme mixes pinks, purples and greens with a touch of cream. Here, the deep purple foliage of the heuchera sets off the adjacent white lupins.
Round box hedges are dotted around the garden to reinforce the circular theme, and combine with other shrubs to form an evergreen backbone for the rest of the planting. The Portuguese laurel on the right was already in place, but Green’s team gave it a hard prune and lifted the canopy to make a nice shape.
The soft purple flowers of French meadow rue (Thalictrum aquilegifolium) weave their way down the garden and are great for attracting bees.
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The patio is separated from the lawn by a stone wall, and from here there are two entrances into the main garden. On the right there is a small step, while on the left a ramp creates an easy-access slope for wheelbarrows.
The plot was originally part of a larger garden, which was divided up. The newer layout had made the shape slightly pinched in, which meant there wasn’t a huge amount of room for planting on the right-hand side. Green compromised and had smaller borders here in order to make the circles work.
A Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) is positioned right at the centre of the garden and provides a stunning focal point.
A Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) is positioned right at the centre of the garden and provides a stunning focal point.
The clients already owned this urn and were keen to keep it, so Green gave it its own spot at the rear of the garden. It’s a perfect container for seasonal plants.
“I think what works in the garden is the combination of its strong shape and planting,” says Green. “The planting would still be pretty on its own, but the winding path really makes the space seem so much bigger.
“I was really touched when the mum of the two told me, ‘I love my garden. It’s like a piece of heaven’,” adds Green.
“I think what works in the garden is the combination of its strong shape and planting,” says Green. “The planting would still be pretty on its own, but the winding path really makes the space seem so much bigger.
“I was really touched when the mum of the two told me, ‘I love my garden. It’s like a piece of heaven’,” adds Green.
A ‘before’ photo shows the lawn and flower beds before their transformation.
What do you think of this cleverly landscaped garden? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
What do you think of this cleverly landscaped garden? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
Location Harpenden, Hertfordshire
Garden size Approx 19m long x 7m wide (tapering down to 4.5m wide)
Property Semi-detached house
Designer Fiona Green of Green Tree Garden Design Ltd
Photos by Richard Brown
The owners of this charming backyard in Hertfordshire hired garden designer Green to turn their nondescript patch of land into a beautiful space they could enjoy all year. “They wanted to make it more interesting and to make it feel bigger,” says Green. “They love plants and were keen to have a garden that was really pretty.”
Green used a tight circle motif to make the garden seem larger. Three round lawns are bordered by winding paths, which were created with sandstone sets mortared into place. The paths encourage slow progress through the garden, helping visitors meander and look at the planting as they go.