Rural Garden in East Sussex

The clients wanted a contemporary terrace and side garden, to complement the modern extension and first floor balcony, which sat easily within its rural location and existing landscaping.

An overgrown tree was removed from the main border which opened up the new terrace and allowed the sun to shine on an otherwise shady garden. A smaller tree with three seasons of interest, Sorbus Joseph Rock, replaced the old tree as a focal point.

The existing heights and damp proof courses necessitated a two level design around the house. A wide sandstone path, at the same level as the interior flooring, wraps around the glass doors to extend the size of the living room when the doors are fully open. Two bullnosed steps lead down to the existing shady brick terrace while a wide bullnosed step leads down to the main Oken sandstone paved terrace. The garden is retained with low brick walls topped with sandstone copings to give informal seating. The retaining wall disguises an inbuilt water feature which can be heard and viewed from inside and out.

The new border was planted with sun loving plants, such as bamboos to disguise the fence. Feature plants, such as Cornus sanguinea Midwinter Fire and Euonymus fortunei Silver Queen, were sited within the new and existing borders to blend the garden together.