Front and Back Garden Revamp, Little Chalfont
A once overgrown family garden, now transformed into a range of usable spaces
A large family garden in Little Chalfont has been given a new lease of life by Chiltern Garden Design.
The family had added a new indoor swimming pool and between this wing of the house and the kitchen they had intended to just lay slabs for a patio before thinking about what to do with the rest of the garden, where a row of old orchard trees ran down the middle between two sections of lawn, which temporarily housed old sailing boats. It wasn’t much of a useable space when we first arrived and there was a danger it would become a lifeless rectangle of paving between the kitchen and the pool building.
Chiltern Garden Design suggested treating the space between the kitchen and the swimming pool as a courtyard garden, with zones for dining and relaxing softened with planting in shades of lilac, pale lemon and white. An oak pergola was designed in a traditional style, to create dappled shade over the dining table, enhanced with scented climbers such as wisteria and star jasmine. Clay pavers defined the zones, creating clean edges softened by planting.
The owners were keen to introduce a copper water feature, which was placed as a focal point between the courtyard and the formal lawn, which leads down towards a ‘hot’ border with bright zingy reds, orange and yellow flowers in high summer, and a small semi circular deck for their existing swing seat to nestle on.
The old orchard trees were retained as a loose separation of the wider garden spaces, one old and unproductive one being removed to create a mown lawn path between them, and underplanted with hydrangeas, hellebores and bulbs. The second lawn leading out from the kitchen doors was transformed into a wildflower meadow, enhanced with spring bulbs. A mown path leads down to a cosy reading nook, and a trio of espaliered pears creates loose separation between the meadow and a productive garden, featuring new fruit cages for growing strawberries and raspberries, and the existing greenhouse.
At the front, a small section of lawn was removed as it didn’t serve any purpose, and a new arrangement of sandstone setts curves emanating from a central circle create an organised yet softened front entrance. The space has been planted up with a mix of shrubs, grasses and perennials, with plenty of year round interest to keep it inviting for the owners and visitors. New gates and walling, together with a refreshed driveway surface and lighting, complete the crisp finish.