The Brief: This large garden backed onto Stoke Newington Reservoir and had a number of mature trees and a unique cob house built by the previous owner. The clients needed help to make more of the space, and to create a more useable and attractive family garden with a country garden vibe.

The Solution: We worked closely with the client to retain and enhance the special feeling the garden had. The mature trees were sensitively pruned allowing more light into the garden and the new planting scheme created an understory of textural planting to give more interest at ground level. A serpentine boardwalk path, flanked by generous planting on both sides, leads to a sunny circular deck which makes the most of the afternoon sun. A curved path using clay pavers continues to the cob house in the far corner of the garden and round to the children’s play area. Near the house, a reclaimed yorkstone patio is used for dining out and here we added pleached trees for more privacy and a gently bubbling water feature. A large lawn for family ballgames is created in the centre of the garden and a wildflower meadow picks up the wilder view of the reservoir banks visible beyond the rear boundary. Along with more structural planting, the scheme includes plenty of grasses, ferns, perennials and bulbs to add texture and colour around the year.