A new downland garden, overlooking the Itchen Valley
Hampshire Downs
The clients view
"Anne will always think things through, to understand what we want. She’s brilliant at seeing what the problem is, and finding a way around it. Anne has a wonderful eye for colourful combinations."
The Brief
For this new house, on a sensitive site with magnificent views over an area of outstanding natural beauty in the South Downs National Park, I was asked to create a traditional country garden, for a growing family - to include a swimming pool and pool house.
My design
A successful planning application allowed the garden to be reconfigured to surround the house. To provide shelter for quite an exposed site, I used yew and beech hedges, with rose-clad timber arches framing views across the valley. Generally, I kept colours soft; but a small walled garden was planted with a richer, more vivid "Persian Carpet" colour scheme. A small potager supplies the family with some fruit and vegetables, and a larger kitchen garden and greenhouse have subsequently been added. Beyond the garden, surrounding meadows are planted with wildflowers, and mown grass paths draw the eye to groups of silvery Whitebeams, under-planted with dark green holly.