Built 20 years ago and owned since new, the owners are hoping to spend more time in the garden as they near retirement so felt that it needed a complete overhaul, trees and shrubs had outgrown their spaces, it was time to let in more light and introduce some colour and structure.
Being keen gardeners, they had cleared the majority of the site of most of the old shrubbery and consulted the parish council regarding removal of trees, exposing lovely brick and stone walls and, with the exception of an old and wonky cherry, leaving a fairly blank canvas. This had also left them exposed to their neighbours on one side so screening became an issue. Cottage style, some formal structure and space for a few veg with seating to make the most of the sunshine at various times of day was the bones of the brief, together with one unusual request: a secure area to house a dog again should they succumb to the temptation of another labrador – a local blacksmith was most helpful. By midsummer they were making the most of the long evenings after work surrounded by lavender and the hum of innumerable bees.
