When we were invited to take this garden through a complete transformation one of its great attractions to us was its long narrow shape and the potential for a transition from colourful ornamentation near the house to simple natural expanses at the furthest limits of the plot.  Graced with some wonderful old hedgerow trees and a stunning quality of light, the site invited a contemporary expression of the English country garden.  A modern parterre near the house, formed using the ebullient Lonicera May Green, provides sequences of seasonal colour arranged around a central axis animated by a simple rill and three pools. 

 

The pools not only reflect the sky, bringing light down to ground level, but they also draw your eye down the parterre to the meadow beyond.  A small cedar glasshouse and matching cedar-clad raised beds produce just enough seedlings for the garden and food for the table.

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All photographs © Alistair W Baldwin