Esher home (Front Garden)

The brief:

The Client felt that the garden was due for a drastic overhaul as the existing plants were tired and overgrown. The layout was not working, the garden was totally overlooked from the road, there was insufficient parking area and there was no obvious path from the driveway to the front door. The driveway and hard surfaces were in need of redesigning and resurfacing with a more contemporary texture and the beds needed to be rethought completely.

The solution:

The area was stripped of all smaller shrubs leaving the magnificent Oak and some peripheral screening trees. Many tons of topsoil were brought in to contour the beds and create an ‘amphitheater ’ effect to the bed when viewed from the house. The driveway was reshaped (see plan) with bold sweeping curves and a clear path was constructed connecting the driveway to the front door. Retaining walls were built to allow for the differences in elevation and the paths were clad in granite to compliment the new limestone driveway. The planting consisted of mass plantings of architectural Tree ferns and other shade tolerant shrubs and ground covers. A small bed adjacent to the front door was planted in a structured design of standard Roses, Lavenders and Box hedging to provide a welcoming display for guests.

The result:

The result is a stunning contemporary garden with a spacious sweeping driveway, clear clean paths and retaining walls and wonderful woodland planting under the canopy of the Oak tree. The small sunny front door bed gives a cheerful seasonal display.