Garden in Devon

A masterplan, working drawings and planting plans were designed for this property.  The house was far from idyllic; it had no garden and the run-down farm dwellings were surrounded by tarmac. A hard and ugly separation from the charming fields and sheep grazing in the meadows beyond added to the challenge. At the back of the site, a hill swept down almost to the house walls and farm buildings, creating a dark narrow passageway. 

The masterplan proposed carving into the hillside and rerouting the drive from the front of the house into a loop, to allow better access to a space on the north side for parking, without spoiling other areas with the sight of cars and other elements of practical living.  This also allowed more light into the house and created enough space for a new, semi-circular gravel area framed by hedges and shrubs as a proper entrance, leading to the main door of the house on the east side and a small gate opening out onto the south gardens. 

The tarmac and concrete around the house were removed, but we maintained the charm and history of the site by keeping to the size of various spaces dictated by the levels and a small area of original cobbled path.  To the west of the house, I designed a sunken rose garden, a herb garden and, beyond this, a small kitchen garden.  From these gardens, borrowed views now lead the eye into the wildflower meadows and idyllic Devonshire fields beyond.