COASTAL - New build

This garden of a new build semi detached house is located on the Sussex Coast near Rottingdean. It was a complete blank canvas. Think wide open skies and all the weathers!

The brief was to create a luscious, bountiful, well established garden with a holiday vibe for a retired couple and their beloved dogs who had recently moved down from the North of England.

We needed:

Dining and entertaining space including BBQ
Generous seating area with sofas to socialise
Sunny and shadier seats with an enclosed feeling
New balustrades that makes the raised terrace safe
Planting: Mediterranean colours and vibes
Lawn for the dogs
Seasonally interesting and pollinator friendly planting
Screening of the Garden Room and Heat pump
Shed

The big design idea here was to subdivide the garden into 3 clear, distinct areas:

The terrace for socialising and entertaining was widened to comfortably fit at least 6-8 people seated
The garden, which was zoned into a sunny and shady retreat space which would be screening the back
The “back of house” holding the Garden Room, new shed and the Heat Pump

Our clients wanted to create an instant impact space that would be maintained with help of a gardener. The materials we proposed included:

large porcelain paving for the terrace to complement the existing grey colour scheme
glass balustrade for the terrace overlooking the garden
rendered block work raised beds which look sophisticated and retain water well
resin bound gravel which is free draining and easy to maintain
plants to be large specimens for that instant touch of glamour.

The boundaries were painted the same colour to tie in with the muted colour scheme..

Planting was to be opulent and extravagant but needed careful selection due to the proximity of the coast. All planting had to be salt and drought tolerant..

We suggested:

Lollipop Bay trees and Lavender or Agapanthus on the patio
Palm for shade and instant impact

Olive trees framing the entrance to the Garden Room
Drought tolerant all season performers such as Phormium and Hylotelephium

Grasses like Miscanthus sinensis ‘Red Chief’, Pennisetum alopecuroides and Deschampsia cespitosa
For the South facing sunny spots: Colour pop perennials like Achillea ‘Terracotta’, Crocosmia ‘Montbretia’, Kniphofia ‘Tawny King’, Geum ‘Totally Tangerine’, Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’, Verbena bonariensis ‘Lollipop’ Alchemilla mollis.

Herb Garden near the BBQ and patio: Rosemary, Thyme, Sage, Chives, Parsley, Oregano, Majoram.

For the North facing shady spots: