Barn Conversion Contemporary Family Garden

A contemporary extension was planned for the barn and the clients wanted a garden that would complement this and allow them to enjoy the space all year round.

The existing garden sloped away awkwardly from the house breaking to a wide expanse of lawn and had very little interest. The brief was to produce a contemporary design with a grown up feel that was still relaxed and family friendly. Space for socialising, an area for cooking, a play area for the children and a good sized vegetable garden were all key requirements.

Our design used a strong geometric structure to follow the inear nature of the barn. Materials including hardwood decking, sawn sandstone, quartz stone aggregate and wildflower meadow grass were used to create areas for dining, relaxing and family play. A smooth rendered retaining wall was planned to level the existing slope and allow a generous flat lawn to be created at the heart of the garden.

A planting plan using a contemporary mix of herbaceous perennials and  grasses, with strong forms for winter interest, was designed to soften the straight lines of the design and enhance the relaxed modern feel.

Plant list 

SHRUBS
Buxus sempervirens (sphere shaped)
Elaeagnus x ebbingei
Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii
Osmanthus x burkwoodii
Pittosporum tobira ‘Nanum’
Sarcococca confusa
Skimmia x confusa ‘Kew Green’
Viburnum opulus ‘Compactum’

CLIMBERS
Clematis ‘Polish Spirit’
Solanum jasminoides ‘Album’
Trachelospermum jasminoides

HERBACEOUS PERENNIALS
Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’
Anemanthele lessoniana
Anemone x hybrida ‘Honorine Jobert’
Aquilegia ‘William Guiness’
Aquilegia vulgaris ‘Alba’
Artemisia ‘Valerie Finnis’
Aster pyrenaeus ‘Lutetia’
Balotta pseudodictamnus
Calamagrostis brachytricha
Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’
Echinacea ‘White Swan’
Epimedium x youngianum ‘Niveum’
Foeniculum vulgare ‘Giant Bronze’
Geranium himalayense ‘Gravetye’
Geranium macrorrhizum ‘Spessart’
Geranium phaeum ‘Samobor’
Geranium pratense ‘Mrs Kendall Clark’
Helleborus foetidus
Helleborus orientalis ‘White spotted Hybrids’
Heuchera cylindrica ‘Greenfinch’
Luzula nivea
Monarda ‘Beauty of Cobham’
Perovskia 'Blue Spire'
Phlomis tuberosa ‘Amazone’
Polygonatum x hybridum
Polystichum aculeatum
Polystichum setiferum
Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’
Salvia x sylvestris ‘May Night’
Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’
Sedum telephium ‘Matrona’
Sesleria caerulea
Stipa gigantea
Stipa tenuissima
Verbascum blattaria albiflorum
Verbena bonariensis