a modern secluded garden

Inspired by the Chelsea Flower Show, the owners of this garden in Darlington wanted a stylish modern space in which to entertain and unwind.

To create a sense of privacy an aerial hornbeam hedge has been planted in three tiered layers. These give an immediate sense of style whilst providing summer cover and shade. Bespoke benches in matching cedar provide a view across the garden.

Planting beds give rise to a raised pergola providing privacy from the property next door. Western red cedar panels cover the fence giving a warm honey coloured backdrop to the modular dining set. To provide a sense of continuity, the travertine paving continues in a grid around the lawn framing two new planting areas.

From the conservatory, the paving travels to the revamped shed culminating in a relief sculpture which fragments as it ascends. The shed also has a green roof to attract wildlife and to be viewed from the bedrooms above.

Planting is low maintenance with a mixture of evergreen perennials such as creeping rosemary, Pachysandra terminalis and oriental style grasses. Golden bamboo screens the houses to the east, Trachelospermum jasminoides covers the fences providing a delicious scent.