Traditional Cottage Garden with Parterre Courtyard

Centred on an existing Mature English Elm (Ulmus) tree our client wanted a garden design that would suit the existing landscape.  Set in a beautiful country village with traditional Lincolnshire Limestone walls this house and garden had a very clear sense of place that our designers honed into.

With very little planting the originally garden consisted of a large lawn, concrete courtyard and the aforementioned tree.  Our designers decided to celebrate this magnificent Elm with a curved avenue of pleached Platanus x hispanica (London Plane) underplanted with mixed perennials thus creating a grand entrance to a formal garden with lawn, seating area and natural pond.

With beautiful old stone walls behind this reflective pool, surrounded by planting and flanked with lines of pleached hornbeam created a nature rich habitat for wildlife and discrete corner with seating for the clients to enjoy. Planting throughout the main garden was a mixture of shrubs and perennials to give all year round interest and help block the sound of the rather busy country road running alongside.

The sun-loving rear courtyard space was transformed simply with a limestone paved centrepiece for the clients traditional wooden sun loungers.  Two traditional parterres were created framed with box hedging and planted with herbs, alliums and lavenders.  The courtyard walls were softened climbing roses and clematis to create a tranquil private space from the kitchen.