Cottage Garden, Deal, Kent, UK
The design and creation of a cottage garden for an imposing walled, Georgian whitewashed house
Cottage garden design for an existing garden that was landscaped a couple of decades ago, so it needs a re-vamp to bring it in to the twenty-first century, while still keeping the character of the garden. Partly a walled garden, the lawn and borders are sheltered on all four sides with easy access from the rear of the property by double gates. The Client’s daughter is getting married so the garden design and planting is carried out in stages. In order to make the most of the existing patio a new border sweeps along the edge of the patio bringing colour and scent up close to the house, while large potted Hydrangeas add texture, height and colour against the white wall. A large weeping willow at the far end of the garden limits what can be grown underneath, so a woodland-type planting scheme is designed, while still allowing the Clients access to the large shed, log store and composting bins. The existing planting is catalogued so that new planting schemes incorporate the healthy plants already found in the garden. A large row of sleepers along one side dictate the shape of the garden, and a large fish pond in the centre of the garden needs a purpose, so the design creates a ‘secret’ seating area around the pond, surrounded by plants on all sides. Keeping with tradition and the community brewing project, space is left for growing hops so that later in the year a delicious beer is brewed by a local micro-brewery. While the design of the garden is angular, the loose cottage-style planting adds interest throughout the year, with the addition of ferns into the nooks and crevices found in the old wall. The property is also a B&B, so the garden becomes an additional room for guests . Two new routes around the garden lead you through the garden and planting towards the rear of the garden. Although the whole garden can be seen at once, the addition of tall herbaceous perennials create a haze to look through, giving the illusion of additional spaces within the walled garden.