Sutton, Co. Dublin
Private Back Garden
01 November 2015
For such a small site the brief was large and it was important that the new design layout didn’t enclose or
clutter the garden. The aim of the design was to create new boundary wall enclosure on the back and left hand
side of the garden while keeping the right hand side wall in place. A slightly larger storage shed was proposed in
the back corner of the garden along with a new gate in the centre of the rear boundary wall leading your eye to
the back of the garden.
Raised Donegal Quartz planters define the patio spaces within the garden. The first patio is located outside the back door, large granite flags with a new bullnose granite step form the new surfaces of the patio. The second space includes a 3m diameter granite circle with a granite cobble border and nida-gravel path curving around the space towards the bin-store, shed and new back gate.
Two custom floating benches constructed from cedar timber are strategically placed in both spaces to catch the sun at varying times of the day. A simple lighting plan was implemented including brick lights in the wall and spike lights in the raised beds, up-lighting specific specimens.
For the planting, a simple colour palette was adhered too as requested by the client. Specimens in the raised beds bring height and maturity to the garden. These include an ACER palmatum. dis. Garnet, Olea europea Forma Toscana and Magnolia Heaven Scent. A mixture of shrubs, grasses, long flowering perennials and scented thyme plants make up the remainder of the planting beds. A curved lavander hedge softens the circular patio space with some low planting and beach cobble surface adds some texture, foliage and colour around the floating bench.
Material selections tie the garden spaces together. Granite paving as a surface material and as wall capping link the vertical walls with the ground plane. The consistent use of cedar timber in the garden gives unity across the benches, bin store, back gate and shed door.
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