Priory garden
This large garden of around 1 ½ acres surrounds a 17th century priory had developed without any design or masterplan. It had a large lawn, planting beds with mainly shrubs and annuals, terraces off the house and next to the tennis court and swimming pool As with many well loved gardens, the planting beds were a little tired which did not do justice to the beautiful mature trees around the site including two ancient mulberry trees and a very old yew tree. Charlotte Rowe Garden Design was commissioned to develop a master plan to incorporate some of the mature planting.
The client was ready for a change to fit in with their changing lifestyle and tastes. In particular, they wanted a much larger terrace off the kitchen with more space for seating and dining . We doubled the size of the terrace and created a raised bed of dressed limestone around its permieter filled with sun-loving plants including Lavender and Santolina. Two large L-shaped stone seats were built to fit snugly against the raised beds and a large French oak pergola frames the view to the stream while on the other side, the view is framed by four umbrella topped plane trees.
The planting was completely re-designed with mass planting of perennials and grasses, using coordinated colours and foliage amongst the existing shrubs. There is Mediterranean planting on the main terrace and around the pool; marginal planting along the edge of the stream to soften it and make it more natural looking. The lawn was re-shaped to give it a slightly more formal appearance; in particular under two mature willows, the lawn was replaced by shade tolerant planting including hostas and ground covers to give a more coordinated mat of green under the trees.
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