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Holistic approach is key to garden design - By Lesley Hegarty and Robert WebberOur series on garden design looks at a wider view which is needed when looking at a new garden – being prepared to plan things like movement from one area to anotherIf you have been following our series, by now you have a cohesive plan for the whole of your garden. The concept design provides good movement through the space as you flow seamlessly from one area to another and also fulfils all the requirements of your brief. This holistic approach is key: so many gardens are fragmented and can look rather like patchwork quilts, while well considered spaces have that easy sense of cohesion and harmony without looking obviously designed. Even if, for budgetary or other reasons, you may choose not to carry out all the construction at once, the beauty of this approach is that any work that you do is undertaken within the guidelines of an overall vision.There still remain, however, a number of preliminary decisions to make before any work begins: for example, which hard landscaping materials should I use, is it appropriate to have a sculpture or do I need planning permission for any of the proposed structures in the garden? Part of our work is to advise on such issues of style – what we, in our business, rather pretentiously call ‘controlling the aesthetic’. We would, for example, restrict the number of hard landscaping materials used in a small garden to reinforce a sense of unity throughout the space - repetition is good! - and the materials we choose should always complement the style and architecture of the house. Any additional features such as summerhouses, lighting schemes or pieces of artwork should also be in keeping with the immediate surroundings as well as the ‘borrowed’ landscape. In our example, our clients were advised to limit their choices to South Cerney gravel for the paths, timber for their raised beds and decking and an area of lawn, all of which were appropriate to their modern, yet relatively formal house, as well as to their budget. Brick retaining walls for the raised beds to match the brickwork of the house would have been equally smart, but they were a more expensive option. Their other choices were wooden garden furniture, bird table and a simple square-pattern trellis to replace the upper half of the rather overpowering larchlap fence on the eastern boundary of their property - all appropriately simple yet classic stylistic features, the latter having the added advantage of opening up the attractive view over the neighbouring farmer’s field. In an ideal world clients involve us in the initial planning stages of their garden - even down to the styling of outside structures such as conservatories, balconies and terraces. The interface between house and garden is particularly important in creating a seamless transition from indoors to outdoors and involving us early on can save costly, ill thought out mistakes. It is also imperative to consider from the outset such issues as planning permission, Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs), building regulations and other local legislation. Every area has its own bylaws, but it is your responsibility or your garden designer’s to research these matters before work begins and, in so doing, save yourself a lot of trouble in the long run. In most areas, for example, you won’t need planning permission for your garden shed, but probably will for your conservatory; you can fell a dead, diseased or dangerous tree even if it possesses a TPO; and you will need to comply with building regulations if you wish to have a raised terrace overlooking the garden. You also need to be aware of new planning regulations regarding paving and drainage in front gardens and so on. When we first met our clients their conservatory had been recently constructed, and they were ready to begin landscaping their garden. This follows next month. Lesley Hegarty and Robert Webber – www.hegartywebberpartnership.com – 01934 853273 |