Formal Garden with Natural Pool Planting and Large Swimming Pond
Category: Water Features, Ponds & Aquatics
Garden Design Project: WTFCWD002
This project comes in two flavours; the Pool or (Natural Swimming Ponds) and
the Formal Garden with its Victorian style Planting and dry Stone walling.
On the top of Biddulph moor it can be very windy, our task was to construct a formal sunken garden out of the wind for relaxing in and entertaining on a large scale on this barren land.
The land was poorly drained and required the removal of a drain to a septic tank, the garden was to be built
using local Stone to match the surrounding buildings.
The Formal Garden under construction. Block work Walls are faced with local Stone with
mortar joints raked out to give the appearance of a dry stone Wall.
The sunken Formal Garden with lavish Planting and a central Water Fountain.
On the right can be seen construction just starting on the Swimming Pond.
One third of the total Pond surface area is taking up by marginal Planting, we used great monoliths of Purple Slate to
emphasize the ground pattern on the vertical and these were under lit for dramatic effect the Lighting hidden in the Planting.
The concrete block is installed and lined with Pond Liner.
The Steps now visible will soon be submerged once the Pool is filled.
Semi-circular Decking sub frame is built around the Swimming Pond.
The grassy bank behind serves several purposes, it 'anchors' the Pool to the surrounding Landscape and
gives a sense of enclosure and protection from the wind and imitates the hills in the background.
Finished Swimming Pond prior to the Planting going in.
The strip of shallow water in the foreground is for regenerating Plants.
This Planting is necessary to maintain the quality of the water in the Pond.
The graded grass mound behind compliments the undulating hills in the distance.
Here a generous Deck was required and I used a radial pattern for dramatic effect.
Although the effect is stunning, this required meticulous cutting of the wood which was time consuming.
Having regenerative Planting by the Pool edge means that boardwalks or jetties are required to avoid wading through Planting on entering or leaving the water.
