Wimbledon West
This 650 sqm garden in South West London was very neglected with many long-established mature trees, many in poor condition. The clients wanted to create a more stylish and classically contemporary garden with a fireplace, a dining area and a pétanque court.
The planting uses a limited palette of colour with greens, limes and creams featuring clipped Buxus, Pittosporum, Ilex crenata, Hebe angustifolia parviflora and Myrtus communis Tarentina interplanted with perennials and ground covers. A number of trees were removed and these have been replaced with mature specimens including Parrotia persica and Fraxinus angustifolia ‘Raywood’ as well as a wonderful mature Osmanthus heterophyllus and an avenue of fastigiate Carpinus betulus.
Charlotte Rowe Garden Design created a main terraced paved in English limestone with a long water feature cutting through, surrounded with 'cloud' planting of clipped Buxus sempervirens. This water feature is mirrored by a ground level polished granite plinth and monolith which acts as a focal point at the end of the garden.
Stairs lead down to the main garden with a large lawn and the pétanque court planted with beautiful tall Amelanchier trees up lit at night and bounded by a row of box-pleached Carpinus betulus trees. Layered hedging disguises the height of the stairs and the retaining walls.
At the bottom of the stairs is the partially enclosed, private fireplace terrace within a timber arbour with a log fire as its main feature. We designed a wide built-in day bed for which we commissioned a mattress and cushions in outdoor fabric to match the cushions of the teak armchairs.
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Photography by Marianne Majerus © Copyright
