Garden Design in Meopham.

 See how I turned a plain, rectangular garden in Vigo, near Meopham, into a natural, all-season garden built around form and texture.

Garden design in Meopham, Kent - diagonal layout with Jura Beige porcelain, Mocha-clad raised bed and mixed evergreen planting

07522 491794

hello@saulabbottgardendesign.com

The Brief

This was a garden in Vigo, on the North Downs near Meopham, Kent. The client wanted a natural feel, or “managed nature” in the phrase that came up early on, and a space that works in every season for pottering and light gardening rather than constant upkeep. The palette was to stay restrained, with subdued hard landscaping and bold colour coming only from the plants, in the blues, purples, whites and ivories the client loves.

Two problems shaped the design; the client’s mother’s bedroom window looked straight onto the neighbour’s exposed red brick garage, so screening it was a must and the existing plain raised lawn, lack of path to the gate and tired bay tree had to change.

 

Planting detail in a Meopham garden - grasses, Heuchera, Fatsia and ferns for form and texture around a brick and porcelain path
Before - bare Meopham garden with the neighbouring red brick garage exposed prior to redesign

Before the transformation – Meopham garden

Before - Meopham garden showing the large exposed red brick garage wall prior to redesign

Before the transformation – the exposed garage wall

Before - Meopham garden boundary with tired fencing and bare soil backing onto woodland prior to redesign

Before the transformation – the garden boundary

The Design

The biggest move was turning the whole garden onto a 45 degree angle. The diagonal layout created much larger planting beds than a square one would allow and gave the space movement. The strong geometry provides the structure while the loose planting softens it, so the garden reads as “managed nature”, ordered landscaping materials but natural and softening surrounding it.

I alternated two materials across the ground, Jura Beige porcelain and Brunhaut village concrete pavers, in the lighter tones the client preferred. The brick contrasts with the pale porcelain while tying the paving back to the house and extension. A raised vegetable bed in a triangle shape matches the shape of the beds and is clad in Mocha porcelain to match the fencing with bullnosed steps softening the level changes. A seating area at the far end catches the late afternoon sun and a second spot by the house catches the morning light.

Large six-foot Prunus lusitanica hedging screens the neighbour’s garage and gives the mother’s view from the window something green year-round. The existing fences were repainted in a dark stain to make the planting sing. Planting is all form and texture in blues, purples and whites, with Salvia, Echinacea and Heuchera, evergreens and variegated foliage for winter structure, and herbs and edibles woven through. In-lite lighting subtly picks out features. At the far end a Cercis canadensis draws the small woodland across the road into the garden.

Garden design in Meopham, Kent - diagonal Jura Beige paving with mixed form and texture planting against dark-stained fencing
Planting detail in a Meopham garden - Fatsia japonica, Heuchera, Pittosporum and grasses for form and texture
Meopham garden with dark-stained fencing, wire-trained climbers and a young Cercis canadensis against the woodland backdrop

Dark-stained boundary and young Cercis in a Meopham garden

Garden design in Meopham, Kent - diagonal Jura Beige paving, brick detail and layered planting leading to a seating area by the house

The finished layout in a Meopham garden

Fatsia japonica 'Green Fingers' foliage detail in a Meopham garden, with grasses and bronze Heuchera

Fatsia japonica ‘Green Fingers’ foliage in a Meopham garden

A full garden design in Vigo, near Meopham, Kent, with a budget of around £20,000.

A natural, all-season garden built around form, texture and a diagonal layout, with lighter-toned hard landscaping and evergreen screening.

If you have a garden in Meopham, Vigo or the surrounding North Downs area and you want to make the most of it, I would love to hear what you have got in mind.

Get in touch by email at hello@saulabbottgardendesign.com or call me on 07522 491794.

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07522 491794

hello@saulabbottgardendesign.com

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