Exploring a pivotal design from early on in my career with a triptych of stylised central planting beds. The lovely owners allowed me and my gardening colleagues to run riot with plants, allowing me to vastly expand my plant knowledge beyond our own small garden.
This uniquely long and narrow city garden presented an opportunity to divide the space into a number of areas with a dedicated purpose. It originally had only foliage shrubs without a single flower in summer. We transformed it into a more colourful and fun wildlife friendly space for a young family using a network of angular paths around a central triptych of prairie style plant beds, extended around two lawns and a small kitchen garden.
The planting, explored more in the book A Greener Life, softens the journey to a new studio by Matthew Giles Architects at the back with more functional dining areas near the main house. Planting changes through each season from thousands of spring bulbs to autumnal tones. It was photographed in the summer of its second year by world renowned garden photographer Claire Takacs for Gardens Illustrated magazine, some photos shown below with thanks to Claire. The garden has also been featured in The Times.
