Circular Lawn Garden

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A new-build blank canvas. My only starting point was a gate in the fence to a back lane and a small change of level diagonally across the garden. From the higher level the hills across the valley are visible. The family asked for a lawn for the children to play on and a larger dining patio.

My design provides a route to encourage movement around the garden, to enhance the back of the house, and most of all to detract from the boxed-in feeling of the fencing. Paving across the back of the house connects with the side access and storage, pulled away from the wall to allow for herb planting and climbers. The pergola and vines add interest to the flat building and shade the southeast aspect. This pergola turns the corner, leading you along the highest edge of the garden to a bench, from where you can see the valley view. The route leads down through a sloping bed to the lawn. As well as being a strong form, the circular lawn also allows maximum boundary planting and detracts from the box shape. Elegant semi-circular steps frame the new, raised terrace. The size and forms of the design absorb the three ugly manholes in the garden. The back gate draws the eye across the garden, suggesting a space beyond, while the bench is concealed by the mid-height planting on the bank, only to be revealed when moving about the garden.

Budget and Phasing 

To help with the budget the design uses only the soil on site, the new lawn cut in to make it level and the spoil used to create a shorter, more defined slope up to the bench. The boundary levels remain unchanged, tying into neighbouring levels. It would be possible to make the pergola, path and patio first, creating the new lawn and slope later. The main structure of shrubs and trees can be planted initially, filling in and building up the textures and colours around the lawn as time and budget allow.

Providing this possibility helps clients become more engaged in creating their space and they often find themselves turning into unexpected gardeners.