Summary

A contemporary outdoor room with insect-friendly planting for a small garden in Thame. Restricted space means the design needs to work hard, my clients wanted their garden to look lovely from the house and to be usable all year. Creating different zones and level changes transformed the garden making it feel much larger than it is.

The raised bed fulfils several important functions in the garden. Raising the planting nearer to eye level breaks up the large curving boundary wall. The Purbeck stone wall enhances the patio and looks lovely from the house, and the wide coping makes a built-in seat for entertaining a larger group of people.

Circular patterns reinforce the zoning, made from Limestone setts they also add sympathetic detailing and interest. The paving is from sawn and sand-blasted grey sandstone, and the design creates focal points of my clients sculptures.

Soft purples, pinks and whites form the planting palette with an evergreen backbone of structure. We wanted a screen of plants to create constant movement in the island bed. Tall grasses and later flowering perennials were chosen for their long-lasting seed heads which extend the season of interest through the winter into early spring. We were amazed by an incredible humming bird moth that was brought by the planting.