North Downs
This pretty cottage in Hampshire has a large sloping garden wrapping around the front and side with woods and fields to the rear, and a narrow lane at the bottom. A lot of work had previously been done to the gardens, cutting into the land with large retaining walls, lines of pleached trees and an extensive parking area. Charlotte Rowe Garden Design felt that this work jarred with the flow of the surrounding landscape and thought that the best design solution would be to return the natural contours to the land.
Our clients agreed to take out the pleached trees and to import soil to hide the retaining walls in new soft slopes. We created planted mounds and bunds, as well as gravel paths to follow the contours of the garden. Two multi-stem field maples were planted into the slope above the drive, which, along with other mature shrubs and trees, immediately gave the space a natural quality. Large areas of the woodland and lawn were seeded with wildflower mixes, and wide, winding grass paths were mown through the wild areas creating walks through the garden.
For the sunny front garden Charlotte Rowe designed gravel and cobble areas planted with herbs and Mediterranean species.
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Photography by Charlotte Rowe © Copyright
