Our Work » Crowborough Landscaping Project
Crowborough Landscaping Project
This was a stunning home in Crowborough and our clients wanted us to create a garden to do it justice. The photos don’t show it very well, but it was a very large and sloped area and with such a general brief it took quite a few site visits to finalise the design and draw plans to make sure that they were both happy. However that’s all part of the design process, as we always want to make sure that our clients get exactly what they want.
The Story
There were 4 aspects to this project. The main one was the front garden; the second was to build a bed at the side of the house and plant it up; the third was to put in a new hedge along the side boundary of the garden and the fourth was to re-vamp a long bed at the back of the house.
The Front Garden
This was a perfectly pleasant space just waiting to be transformed.
Making the two levels on either side of the drive
As the front garden was on a fairly steep slope, we suggested making it into two levels, with the top one put down to lawn and the bottom one planted up.
The first job was to dig out the ground with the digger to create the 2 levels and then build retaining walls using new soft wood sleepers. To make the heights right on the top level took 100m3 of topsoil - that’s quite a few wheelbarrow loads believe us! Thankfully there was an abundant supply of tea and cakes, which kept us going on the really cold and wet days and for that our client most definitely earns our appreciation.
The levels not only looked great but also made the space far more usable.
The Pods
The key features were 4 giant planters or pods, which were essentially 6 foot tall, curved walls made from vertical 6” x 2” lengths of timber. To create an extra dimension, uplighters were installed on them directed at the tree inside to light it up at night.
Here they have been used features but they could equally be sized down for a smaller garden and used as a screen instead of a fence for example.
Plants were laid out to make sure that they were in the best position and showed to their best advantage before actually digging them in. They look quite sparse now, but they have room to grow and within a few months will be starting to fill out the bed nicely.
The Side Bed
The slope at the side of the house became much steeper and here we made a new bed of 4 levels wrapping around the side of the house.
The Hedge
Planting a Laurel hedge should have been the most straightforward part of the project. However, we hadn’t counted on a herd of deer getting the munchies in the middle of the night! They obviously also enjoyed a good cavort after their snack - the turf had only just been laid they had kicked most of it up. The garden looked a complete and utter mess. It was frustrating for our clients and we were devastated, but after a lovely, calming cup of tea and a slice of cake we managed to re-group, and after a day putting the garden back in order we were back on track.
The Back Bed
This was just a question of ripping out all the existing plants, roots and weeds, digging it over incorporating topsoil and replanting it. Although it was a fairly simple task it was very time consuming.
Last but not quite least; we made a play area with a thick layer of bark chippings for a softer landing! It’s for their children by the way, not the deer. The clients are chuffed to bits with the finished result and so are we.
3 Months On
Rob designed and executed a planting scheme for this huge bed in the back garden. The plants have grown to fill the spaces and it is now looking stunning.
Rob designed and built 4 pods for the front of the same garden in Crowborough and planted around them - the plants have grown softening the pods and making them even more attractive features.