Garden Design in Oxfordshire
The brief for this small garden design was to simplify a beautiful space that had been gardened for over 20 years by the client. Given their advancing age, they wanted a more manageable space; a gravel garden being top of the list.
BEFORE
AFTER
The centre of the garden was excavated to the same level as the house, necessitating the addition of the gently curving oak retaining wall, leaving space for the gravel garden. The gravel was planted up with sun-lovers such as Lavender, Sage, Stipa and perennial Flax.
Borders to the margins were mass-planted with Japanese Fountain Grass and Oak-leaved Hydrangea, to add long seasons of interest, as well as a simple, calming foil to the colourful gravel planting.
The bottom third of the garden is set aside to wildflower meadow, creating a low maintenance wildlife haven and a peaceful space to escape to in the evening sun. The existing terrace here was retained, as over the years wild strawberry, thyme and oregano had seeded and spread through the through cracks in their inimitable fashion.
