"The warm summer evenings have been perfect for opening the doors onto the garden and enjoying the view. Everybody has praised the design, the proportions feel right with a great sense of width in a long narrow garden. The individual elements of the design meet our needs but also work together seamlessly - it's fantastic to have a good design."
Christine Whatley was asked to design a traditionally styled garden in Surrey for a young family to enjoy and grow up in. The youngest member of the family was born during the garden build!
The owners had just completed some building work, during which the garden resembled a building site, so now they were ready to turn their attention to creating their perfect family garden.
In the small front garden a clear welcoming entrance to the "front" door at the side of the house was needed, together with a parking space. Gravel was used so that water can drain, but grids hold the gravel in place and make it easy to push a buggy. Evergreen planting provides a private but clearly defined entrance, and a small composition of architectural plants and a new tree create balance.
In the long back garden Christine kept the garden open to allow light to flood in through the new folding doors, and to enjoy the views of the Downs at the end of the garden. But she still succeeding in creating clearly defined spaces for entertaining and play.
A large terrace provides plenty of flexible entertaining space, screened from a neighbouring dormer by a trellis arbour area. This is balanced by another trellis panel opposite which doubles as support for a retractable washing line. Stepping stones lead to a BBQ area, on the site of an old greenhouse base left in situ rather than removed to landfill.
The main lawn is surrounded by generous planting, which will grow up to partially screen a further lawn area for the children. Around this end lawn, planting includes native shrubs and flowers, merging towards the tree covered Downs.
This is a garden that imaginatively integrates everything the family needs into a stylish outdoor space.
