Budget Garden - Borough Green

Design Brief

A new-build house in Borough Green, Kent posed a number of challenges in that the original space comprised of nothing more than fences and turf. Not very inspiring but typical of millions of new-build properties. The end of the garden also sank away over the last ten feet leaving an area which was hard to use.

The solution ? Create a two-level garden, with upper lawn area, planting, patio, seating areas and real passion for colour, then a second, lower area accessed by oak timber steps underneath an archway leading to a beautifully crafted timber shed, great for keeping all the garden paraphenalia.

The small garden, before we got to work

It isn't always necessary to spend a fortune to solve a tricky problem in a small garden as good design always tackles the problems first and then enhances the new space with a feeling of character and a space really to be lived in. Every part of the garden is easy to look after and with a lawn which only takes 10 minutes to cut it really is low maintenance, too ! There's even a gentle carpet of chamomile just in front of the seat which, when stepped on, fills the air with fragrance...

On a small budget you've got everything a garden needs. Space, colour and classic styling without breaking the bank.

This is how it all looked once we were finished...

Careful planting

The garden feels larger than it really is thanks to a circular lawn and some careful planting. Every square inch has been used to great effect. It's all about attention to detail in a small space.

Timber steps and high quality archways make the sloping garden a thing of the past

Papaver 'Pattys Plum' in front of Nandina domestica, part of the seasonal scheme

Summer colour to liven up the border

Iris 'Jane Phillips', in flower and in bud, small accents in the planting

A garden bench, underplanted with London Pride, mixed perennials and a sprinkling of Chamomile

Cornflower, an explosion of blue in early summer

Sorbaria 'Sem', tucked away behind the garden bench

Sample Plants

Clematis 'Kiri Te Kenawa', Iris 'Jane Phillips', Nandina domestica, Papaver 'Patty's Plum', Sorbaria 'Sem', Acer 'Bloodgood', Crinodendron hookerianum, Brunnera 'Jack Frost', Tradescantia 'Sweet Kate', Trachelospermum jasminoides, Laurus nobilis, Saxifraga umbrosa, Tellima grandiflora, Centaurea cyanus

Materials

10mm shingle, oak timber sleepers, trellis panels and tegula paving