All Saints Sensory Garden, Liverpool

The garden spread over approximately 1 acre starts with a woodland walk which takes the children through a tunnel of giant tree ferns, their canopies giving a jungle feel which opens up into the sensory garden. Here huge concrete footsteps lead to an area of natural rocks and grasses, the tinkling sound of water and the whisper of the grasses make it a truly sensory experience.

Leading from the sensory garden the children are confronted with an immense turf labrynth, the grass mounds create a puzzling route to the centre of the feature where a flock of life-like sheep made from recycled wood and cork await. The area is surrounded by drifts of wild flowers and a stand of white barked birch form the central area where children can sit on turf seats.

A chain of stepping stones made from tree sections lead to a giant steel wind chime which tolls gently in the breeze, from here the children can glimpse the Octopus garden. A small seaside garden with an octopus made of mirrored stainless steel, its tentacles holding back sections of coloured glass that glint under the light and bounce reflections around the brilliant white sail canopy that is supported by three stainless steel masts. Seaside plants, grasses and herbs are planted amongst a mulch of sun-bleached sea shells. A quiet garden of contemplation nestles close by the sea-side garden for staff or children to sit and relax.

The final area of the garden is a growing area. This is the children's own mini allotment, with a herb wheel made from stainless steel and raised beds for them to plant salads and vegetables, complete with a small shed. The area is encircled with a small hedge of copper beech on one side and an avenue of fruit trees on the other. A chestnut paling fence with a perimeter of Rowan, Hazel and Alder trees create a natural enclosure for this truly magical garden.

St Margarets, Liverpool

This is a small garden crammed with unusual and interesting features.

A pathway with arches of scented, honeysuckle and jasmine leads around the garden to a growing area, small beds are planted with salads, fruit bushes and herbs. The path leads to a massive turf crocodile that the children can sit upon, it encircles a small sensory garden of herbs, grasses and rocks with water flowing from them and disappearing into an underground reservoir.

The path leads around the perimeter of the garden and through a shaded woodland walk with brass rubbing stations where the children can make pictures of birds and trees they are likely to find in the garden.

Pond and Waterfall

The brief was to replace a small natural pond with a larger pool and waterfall to make more use of the existing lawn and garden area.

The old pool was filled in and the lawn was shaped into a large circle. The existing patio of natural stone was extended and a pathway created to link in the patio, encircle the new lawn and make a walkway around the garden, leading to the main feature, a magnificent waterfall made of locally quarried natural sandstone.

The feature is sited in a more suitable area with a stand of silver birch creating a more natural backdrop and setting. The feature is planted naturalistically with a dazzling array of marginal and shade loving plants. When illuminated of an evening with strategically placed unobtrusive lighting, the waterfall turns into a magical grotto.

A Modern Suburban Garden

The clients had spared no expense or eye for detail with their beautiful house, but unfortunately the garden was another matter. Unkempt, disorganised and overgrown it needed to be totally replaced.

From this blank canvas we created a modern looking garden, the use of silver/grey natural stone and blue slate giving a contemporary and crisp look.

Featuring a circular lawn with intersecting circles of stone edged with natural cobbles. The borders, controlled and thoughtfully planted with specimen trees and shrubs, providing low-maintenance and all-year colour and interest. A small water feature provides sound and movement to the garden.

A Cottage Garden

The garden although attractive was looking dated and due to changes in levels and the use of low obstructive dividing walls – the garden was not very functional.

The biggest surprise in the garden was due the removal of an unsightly chocolate brown fence, beneath was beautiful natural dry-stone wall. This created the backdrop to a more modern looking garden with natural stone and softened by sympathetic planting in a cottage style.

An existing pool was rebuilt with an impressive waterfall. The garden is now more functional for the client to use for relaxing and to entertain.

A Garden for Disabled Access

The large garden was unable to be used by the client, restricted by having to use a wheelchair for mobility.

To give wheelchair access from the house into the garden, a deck was built around an existing conservatory, with a ramp running around its perimeter and gradually reducing the height and level into the garden. Creating an attractive and functional feature that formed an integral part of the garden, the client could now enjoy her garden.

Pathways were created around the garden using flags inset with old bricks and raised beds of recycled railway sleeper, with regular intervals of hard standing patio areas, under a scented climber clad pergola and around raised beds of herbs and old roses.

The garden is now functional and planting in raised beds gives the client more access to a much loved garden.

A Backyard Haven

The challenge was to create a useable space in the tiny backyard of an urban terraced house. As much of the old brick walls were unattractive we decided the most cost-effective option was to clad much of the walls with trellis, using a chunky structure with a contemporary look. The small square design in the trellis created an illusion of greater space.

Picking up the theme of old bricks we built a small circular wall to house the client’s contemporary stainless steel water feature. We softened it in situ by using different textures and sizes of stone and grasses.

In the corner behind the feature we mounted wave shaped mirrors on the wall to reflect the image of the feature and bounce more light around the garden. To finish the project we installed low-voltage lighting around the garden and to illuminate the feature.

The clients are already planning their sunbathing and long summer evenings relaxing in their small but beautifully formed contemporary urban back yard garden.

A Patio and Pond

The garden for a modern property included a small pond with lighting, a patio with circular seating area and low brick wall - (Bradstones' Madoc range).

New lawn and planted borders with a secluded circular patio completed the low maintenance family garden.

Contemporary Garden, Water Features & Lighting

An overgrown and unusual shaped garden that did not afford the clients much needed space was transformed into a modern and practical design. The main focal point being a wall rendered for cool clear lines and planters of black bamboo set against two cascades from stainless steel letterbox waterfalls.

The effect is stunning particularly of an evening when the garden is lit with Led lighting to illuminate the water and planting features.

Large split level deck, new lawn and raised sleeper borders with ornamental trees, grasses and perennials create a very contemporary feel to the space with plenty of room for entertaining.

Contemporary Garden with Gabions

A difficult space for the client to make effective use for relaxing and entertaining was the challenge!

The garden is linked with new timber raised beds and lawns to a patio area in natural sandstone surrounded by steel Gabions filled with Cornish cobbles and finished with a timber decking seating area - ideal for partying in the garden along with a spacious deck illuminated with Led lighting.

The slate monolith with central hole looks particularly stunning when lit in the evening.

Pond, Waterfall and Gazebo

This large family garden set in a tranquil wooded area was designed with a number of garden rooms in mind: from the small scented garden with its parterres of herbs and box with bench and ornamental sundial; to the large split level deck with plantings of Yew to separate rooms.

A timber sleeper path set in a large shaped lawn leads to a rock waterfall and pond built from reclaimed limestone. A gazebo set on a hexagonal deck is set amongst generous borders of planting.

Pond, Waterfall and Gazebo

The garden features a large pond and waterfall with a hexagonal deck partially suspended over the pond.

A gazebo is built onto the deck. A low hedge of box frames the patio and encloses a dry bed of Mediterranean style planting of bay, rosemary, lavenders etc.

Towards the top end of the garden a hedge of yew conceals a secret garden of grass paths set amidst a planting of wildflower drifts with fruit trees.

A Small Waterfall

This small garden was constructed for low maintenance with most of the area being flagged with Autumn Gold sandstone flags.

A circular patio kit was incorporated into the design and a small pond and waterfall created from rustic slate. The garden was planted with sensory aromatic planting.

Pond and Waterfall

The front and back gardens were created to compliment the modern property - a new lawn with box hedging and planted borders with lighting.

The rear garden had as a focal feature a large pond and waterfall feature made from reclaimed limestone and dressed with river boulders and shingle. The natural sandstone paths and patios with circular patio kit meandered around the new lawn area.

The garden was partitioned to provide an area for the client's pet dog.

A Japanese Inspired Garden with a Tea House

The owner, a keen collector of Bonsai trees wanted an area to set off his fabulous collection.

We created a traditional style Tea-house, a black limestone patio and the main garden a sea of washed granite gravel - swirled around large rocks.

A slate monolith created a strong focal point for the garden of Azaleas and Japanese Acers.

An Oriental Themed Garden

A triangular shaped plot which received a lot of sun.

The design made use of the space creating the illusion of bigger area with a circular lawn and circular planting areas edged with charcoal key kerbs.

With a specimen welsh slate monolith and plantings of Acers, the garden has a fusion of oriental and the Mediterranean.

An Interactive Nursery Garden

The brief for this nursery was based upon the Government's recent initiatives 'Every Child Matters' creating inspirational play spaces for children.

The garden is very interactive with growing areas for the children to experiment with their own edible planting.

It also includes a sensory 'nectar bar' planting to encourage insects bees, butterflies with bug hotels to encourage beneficial insects and an insect theatre with a solar powered light attracts moths into an area that children can view them the next day.

The garden also had a circular lawn with an obstacle course, seats made of turf a sand pit and a small wilderness area.

A Jungle Themed Sensory Garden with mobiles for special needs

A jungle inspired theme creating a decking area with a sail to create shade suspended by stainless steel posts.

Raised beds and planters painted to look like exotic animals giraffe, tigers and zebras that could be moved about in front of the vividly pained mural.

A small rock waterfall feature with coloured glass, created a sparking feature for the children to enjoy.

The exotic planting and Paul Bearman's fantastic wind creations of mystical birds and fantasy structures atop 3m poles.

www.everychildmatters.gov.uk

My garden through the seasons

My garden as you can see is in what I like to call a state of evolution.

The borders are ablaze with oxeye daisies in early summer followed by other wildflower such as devil's bit scabious, ragged robin and ladies bedstraw - a haven for bees and butterflies and other insects attracted by the wildlife pond.

In the autumn the first frosts glisten on the yellow and red fruits of the malus (Crab apples) Golden Hornet and Red Sentinel.

The back of the garden is devoted to a kitchen garden with herbs and seasonal produce planted in raised beds. Leaving seed heads and perennials creates interesting affects with a covering of frost and a heavy snowfall once again changes the look of the garden.

A gallery of miscellaneous projects

Some design examples

A sensory garden for a Children’s Nursery

This garden in Southport incorporated a Children’s play area with a natural growing / learning environment. The garden featured:

• Hand made instruments carved from natural recycled materials and a stunning wind mobile again made from old discarded timber.
• A raised planting bed for the children to grow herbs and salads.
• A deck for performing / plays and music complete with a sale for shade.
• A small circular lawn with a life-size crocodile made from turf! Curled within the circle.
• An octopus garden – a stunning water feature with coloured glass pebbles defining the octopus’s tentacles.
• The garden planted with winter interest and nectar rich summer planting – with a bug hotel and ladybird and bee box to encourage wildlife.

A small school garden – Litherland

The garden occupies a very small unused space near the school’s boiler house formerly concrete flags, it is now a small growing area.

• The concrete area was softened by replacing with grass and bark, raised planters from timber sleepers creating growing areas for the children
• A small decking stage with shade supported by stainless steel poles.
• A covered timber sand pit that doubles up as a seating playing area.
• o A bug hotel and ladybird and bee box to encourage wildlife in the planted areas.

A walled garden

The garden fence was replaced with a new double thickness garden wall with buttresses and caps. A total of over 13,000 reclaimed look new bricks were used to create this impressive wall feature.

The walls were under-lit with recessed ground level spotlights and large hay feeder style planters used to plant summer planting – replaced in winter with winter planting and decorated with lights. An irrigation system was installed to regulate timed feeding of plants.

The walling was complemented with Natural sandstone (Indian stone) Modac flags – over 150 square meters laid in a random pattern. The fantastic mix of colours bringing the courtyard style garden to life.