Victorian House in London Featuring Herbs, Climbers & Perennials

Category: Driveways, Patio, Paving & Walls

Garden Design Project: DWSCDY001

A large Victorian House on the edge of London with an overgrown garden and a very uninteresting terraced patio which the owners were not using properly or happy with. Recently a large kitchen extension had been added and there was the need to have a nice eating area so that they could use the French doors on the side.

We cleared the whole area, removed the paving and re-designed the overgrown flower beds. We laid clay brick pavers with a small area of paving in the centre for the table to sit on. The pavers extended to round the house to form a path along the back of the kitchen in order to join the side extension.

A combination of Herbs, Climbers and soft muted Perennials gave the whole area a much more inviting and welcoming place to sit out and enjoy family meals. The rest of the garden was cleared and redesigned which included a pergola, stone path and dry stone wall to the east side with fruit trees in the lawn to form a small orchard - all in keeping with a typical Victorian House. A swing seat at the back was nestled between cob nut trees and silver birch.

A winding path was created and a handmade metal pergola was covered in scented Climbers. This was flanked on two sides by buxus balls. The next question is where to plant? To one side a dry stone wall was built and planted with herbaceous Perennials and shrubs as well as specimen plants like cercis canadensis forest pansy and cornus kousa from the nursery.

Behind the swing seat, an existing playhouse was given a much needed facelift and planting underneath and around the frame with fruit such as blackberries and raspberries as well as blueberries for the young boys to pick.

A hazel arch leads into the back area of the garden where there is a shed and compost area. These are screened by tall taxus hedging plants. From a boring overgrown jungle to a beautiful elegant garden which now completes this Victorian House near London.

Submitted By: Claudia De Yong - 6 Times RHS Medal Winner
Website: www.claudiadeyong.com