The place

Set in the North Devon countryside, yet close to Barnstaple, the property sits within five acres of gardens bordered by a fast-flowing stream. Over the last seventeen years Ian has worked closely with the owners to create a special place where the family can enjoy time outdoors. It has many garden rooms with their own style; tropical, Japanese, Lutyens, winter, main lawn with herbaceous borders, meadow and woodland walks.

The brief

The clients wants to enjoy their time at the property and develop the garden to meet the needs of their growing family. There are always new projects to work on and enhance.

The designs

The Lutyens garden was an underused area at the rear of the house, mainly gravel and box hedges. A wall was removed, opening up the space and allowing for a large lawn to be created, with long herbaceous borders and side beds. The planting scheme reflects the interior colour scheme of the rooms that look out onto the garden.

The tropical garden was once a storage area, now removed to allow an improved view from the swimming pool. It gives a lush, tropical feel around the pool.

The woodland walk has been designed so that the clients can walk around the meadow and through the woods. A sustainable new feature has been created by felling a small number of trees to clear the path, using the larger branches as path edging and the small branches chipped to line the path. Larger stumps have been retained to create a natural and informal children’s play zone for the grandchildren to enjoy.