The challenge was to create an oasis of calm with a feeling of water, yet safe for four children including a baby. The bog planting here is unusual and yet works well in a larger london garden, and makes good use of an existing wet area that would otherwise have been expensive to drain. A large boardwalk is used to cross over it (from the main terrace adjacent to the house) giving that wonderful feeling of walking over water, without having standing water in the garden - keeping it child friendly.

To the rear you can see a man made stream only a centimetre or so deep, meandering between two specimen Liquidamber trees (e.g Liquidambar styraciflua 'Lane Roberts'). A granite bridge continues the theme of walking over water.

From left to right in the photo above are golden bamboo (Phyllostachys aurea), Arum lily 'Crowborough' (Zantedeschia aethiopica 'Crowborough'), lovely reed- Zizanea latifolia, clump former Darmera (e.g. Darmera peltata) gives wonderful autumn colour, and the tall elegant reed Scirpus albescens.

Here a dramatic Giant rhubarb (Gunnera manicata) is planted with mixed irises to the front and more Darmera sp. To the left the smaller form of bull rush (Typha minima) and the tall Gallingale grass are planted. A common dog rose (rescued form the pre-existing hedging of the garden and pruned hard) is justifying its retention by flowering prolifically.