Country Garden Design

With the restoration of this Wicklow garden, several different garden rooms were created, including a lawn tennis court, kitchen garden, secret garden, and children’s play area with bespoke play equipment. Ample provision was made for entertaining with a patio and terrace on two sides of the house, both with vistas through to focal points linking the various garden rooms.

Child friendly shallow water feature has three jets for movement and sound.

The large water feature and pavilion act as focal points in this country garden design.

The Planting Design

Some areas of the planting plan called for a more structured formal design, while others a more informal approach, each creating individual character and style.

The formal planting design gives structure to this family garden in Wicklow.

Soft textures and bright colours create a relaxed atmosphere in this informal planting design.

Formal and informal planting designs in this country garden design.

Designing a Formal Garden

The period house and regular shape of the site called for a garden design with a strong sense of formality, while the various elements were linked together and defined by formal bay hedges and hardwood trellis screens. Different planting combinations were then used within the individual garden rooms to soften the formal lines and create an atmosphere of comfort, tranquillity and seasonal interest.

Container planting softens the formal garden design.

A barbecue and outdoor kitchen were also an element of the design.

There is a formal style to this terrace overlooking the tennis court. Container planting is used to soften and furnish the main elements within the landscape.

Family Garden Plan

In planning this family garden a lawn tennis court, outdoor kitchen and children’s play area were included to meet the clients’ needs. The wooden bespoke play equipment created for this project can be seen under “Treehouses and Play”. The clients also showed an interest in growing fruit and vegetables, so a potager (kitchen garden) was included to provide a seasonal supply of fresh produce. Fruit trees were espaliered to grow on the south facing house walls and container planting provided for a selection of Mediterranean herbs.

A tennis court was built in this country garden to meet the family’s needs.

This garden room has a natural, informal feel, completed with a small secondary water feature.

Tennis court (left) and the use of informal planting to soften the formal boundaries (right).

A fully integrated irrigation system was installed with individual zoning to provide for the specific watering requirements of different areas within the garden.

Lutyens Bench creates a focal point from the patio.

Formal Lutyens bench nestled in a sun-trap surrounded by box.