Drought Tolerant Gravel Garden

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Drought Tolerant Gravel Garden
Drought Tolerant Gravel Garden
Larger than average London garden in a conservation area

This South East London garden is located in a conservation area, we were fortunate to have some existing mature trees to work with. A mature Ficus carica 'Brown Turkey', Betula pendula 'Youngii', Corylus avellana 'Contorta' and Morus nigra. The first job was to create some strong forms with these existing trees - creating the back bone of the garden which in turn created atmosphere and was in tune with its history.

The brief was to create a wild gravel garden with planting to attract birds, bees and butterflies. Shortly after we had finished planting, the garden was full of wildlife: bees, butterflies, frogs, newts, damselflies.  Many species of birds and other wildlife visit the garden throughout the year.

The clients had just finished extensive refurbishment works to their house. The architect had designed a built in window seat in the kitchen, so we wanted to bring the view of the garden inside as much as possible - enabling the clients to enjoy the garden from indoors as well as outdoors.

The garden was divided into distinct zones; close to the house there is naturalistic planting to create a wonderful view from the built in window seat. The planting in this area features Yucca gloriosa, Stipa tenuissima, Oenothera lindheimeri and Stachys byzantina (Lambs Ear).

A Raj green sandstone path leads from the house to a dining area, surrounded by tall wild planting which includes: Echinops 'Veitch's Blue' and Foeniculum vulgare.

The gravel path then leads through atmospheric dappled shade planting to an area of raised timber borders with feature planting and herbs, which includes Phormium 'Platt's Black', Sarcococca hookeriana, Anthriscus sylvestris 'Ravenswing' and Dryopteris filix-mas. The path continues past a large weeping Betula pendula 'Youngii' (Silver Birch) tree with a seat built around the trunk then finally on to a large log cabin.

Subtle lighting has been included throughout the planting borders to allow the garden to be used for social or recreational use after dark. Installing lighting means the clients can also enjoy their garden from inside their house during the winter months.

We worked with Nicola on the garden design and planting of our large, wild garden in Brockley, SE London. Nicola was sensitive, conscientious and spent time getting to know my husband Robert and I, to gain an understanding of how we wanted to use our house and garden.

She studied the interior of our house, our taste and our values so she could create a garden design to complement our large window seat and lifestyle, along with creating a garden with good biodiversity; she suggested we should use a good mix of native plants as we lived in a conservation area.

Nicola's work not only transformed our interior space - connecting the outside world with our inside life through the window to the garden - she changed our lives and the lives of the wildlife that enjoyed the garden.

The garden and the window to the garden became an important place of healing and wellbeing as well as great happiness.

We look forward to working with Nicola again.

Tamara and Robert, Brockley

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