A Garden with Water
and Wildlife Interest

THE BRIEF

This garden was designed for a young couple in their thirties who are both keen gardeners.  They were keen to attract wildlife into the garden and so wanted a still body of water.  They wanted a terrace for dining and entertaining, and a smaller, more intimate area near the water.  They also wanted space for a log store and a compost area.  Planting needed to provide interest throughout the year, attract a range of wildlife (birds, insects, amphibian and aquatic invertebrates) and include some native species.

THE DESIGN

The primary requirement for this brief was to attract wildlife into the garden, and with this in mind the pond, bog garden and meadow formed the key elements in the design.  To encourage people to venture into the garden and connect with the wildlife we hoped to attract, a mown path was threaded through the meadow, and stepping stones placed through the pond and bog garden.  A sitting area was placed alongside the pond to provide a calm, reflective area next to the water.  A large pergola creates a strong connection across the width of the garden, and the hard lines of this have been softened by climbing roses – with focal points created at both ends.  Finally, a seating and dining terrace was placed next to the house to provide a place to sit and enjoy the space created.

THE PLANTING

The meadow was created using a site-specific seed mix made up of native wildflowers including buttercups (Ranunculus acris), Ox-Eye Daisies (Leucanthemum vulgare) and Red Campions (Silene dioica.)  The bog garden was planted with water loving plants such as Matteucia struthiopteris, Meconopsis x sheldonii and Smilacina racemosa.  The pond was planted simply with Butomus umbellatus and Pontederia cordata.  The rest of the garden was planted carefully bearing in mind it was a shady, north facing site.  Buxus balls provided structure along the key walkways, and this was softened with evergreen Liriope muscari. Colour and year-round interest was introduced in a variety of ways: flowers (Perovskia ‘Blue Spire’), coloured stems (Cornus alba ‘Elegantissima’) and interesting foliage (Sambucus nigra f. porphyrophylla.)