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Contemporary cottage garden in Buckinghamshire
By Oxfordshire based garden designer Richard Rogers.This south facing garden on the Buckinghamshire / Oxfordshire border blends contemporary design elements with traditional materials and clever detailing to create a strong connection between the house and garden.
The terrace and main path are constructed from graphite coloured clay pavers forming sweeping curves that echo a curved boundary wall. These small pavers were reminiscent of cobbles, but the colour and sleek pattern they were laid in created a more contemporary feel.
2 circular lawns, one with a stepping stone path running part the way round, together with a curved bench, continued the use of curves within the design, but with additional straight paths that cut into these to add drama and overall direction to the garden.
A naturalistic water feature with a stream that ran into a reflecting pool. This area of the garden included large boulders of Cotswold stone to link with the stone used throughout the property and to create a sense of drama and feeling that the garden had always been there. Water was pumped to the top of the stream via a filter system to maintain clear water, through which native fish could be seen swimming in the pool.
New trees that were of sufficient maturity to add instant impact, many of which were multi-stem specimens that had a lovely architectural shape and offered glimpsed views, through their trunks, to other parts of the garden. Some of these trees were evergreen – Pines, Olives and Arbutus – providing year-round structure and continuing the mediteranean feel.
A new sun terrace – constructed from a composite charred timber decking, which harmonised with the clay pavers, and again combined a rustic and contemporary aesthetic. Within the decking we built a glass cover for the well that sat flush with the deck, could be walked over, and was lit at night to give a dramatic view right to the bottom of the well.
A feature wall – inset into a boundary hedge, which combined the charred timber decking and a Corten Steel ornamental panel. This panel was formed from an organic branch structure that linked with the twisted stems of the multi stem trees.
A remote-controlled lighting scheme, with several tree uplighters that added drama and extended the use of the garden late into the evening.
Large planting beds with a mixture of naturalistic and ‘designer’ plants and a planting palette that offered year-round interest. The owners enjoyed gardening so a wide range of species were used to add interest. We created different planting zones – gravel garden, woodland, water edge, ornamental perennial.
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Designed by Richard Rogers
Other gardens by this designer