While many of our gardens are urban or suburban spaces in Dublin city and its environs, we are often asked to design gardens outside the Pale.

This garden is a case in point.  The owners had lovingly restored an old barn into a stunning modern home in the South East of Ireland.   However the site meant most of the space was to the front of the house which, while screened from the road to some extent by a stone wall, did not offer the sense of privacy desired for relaxation and entertainment.  So the front garden was also the back garden.

The owners had created a patio space but is was disconnected from the main kitchen and dining area of the house and was limited in size.    It was also on full view from the roadway at the entrance gates.  A second higher seating area was not easily reached from the first patio.

The rest of the garden was mainly in high mainteance lawn with some shrubs that had been severely pruned so felt stunted and undersized in the space.

The main entrance to the house lacked a clear pathway to the door and is devoid of any planting and so feels a bit dreary and underwhelming.

The clients brief included:

• creation of a softer space to compliment the house
• a more private and  integrated patio area for dining and relaxation
• low maintenance planting
• making use of the large boundary wall at the end of the garden.

 

So we surveyed the garden and after further consultations with the clients, we went back to Dublin and came up with a plan for their garden…..

Firstly we will sharpen up the space and give it a more contemporary feel by replacing the curves with sharper straight lines.  We will increase the patio area and create a series of wide steps that lead up to a second patio to catch the late evening sun.

The car spaces will be moved away from the house to allow us to create a more aesthetic look to the front of the house.

We will create a distinct route to the kitchen doors (frequently used as an entrance) by creating a border either side of it.  A border will surround the new patio area to create a sense of privacy.  Olive trees will pop out of this planted area.

A series of Italian cypresses in planters will ad both a sense of formality and structure as well as feel of the mediteranean to this villa style house.

A series of photos of the existing space overlaid with our visual impression of the new garden helped the clients see how their new garden will look.

The area in front of the main entrance will have a wide path that leads through new borders either side to create an impressive new entrance to the house.  Italian cypresses will inject a feeling of formality and structure.  Planting will soften the area and a fence at the end will hide utilities etc.

This image shows the widened path which will lead to enlarged patio area to the front of the house.  The slanting topography of the site will allow use to create raises beds around the patio which will add to the desired Italian terrace effect.

Wide steps will lead gently up to a second higher level patio.  Lollipop Olive trees will provide just enough screening to the front without blocking crucial sunlight during the day.

When  viewed from the entrance, the end wall will be enhanced and obscured by trees and shrubs in wide beds and cars parked to the left will no longer dominate the space.  The small planting bed to the right will lead the visitor to the informal and formal entrances.

Tags: borders, car parking, front garden as back garden, garden design, low maintenance, olive trees, outside Dublin, patios, rural garden, sandstone, steps, www.mertondesign.ie
Posted in Garden Design • John • No Comments »