Our English garden heritage and perfect climate is not to be underestimated; despite challenging to us at the start of this year with flooding it also allows us to enjoy the most beautiful verdant natural landscape in the summer. Our gardens have the opportunity to be full of herbaceous borders overflowing with Delphiniums, Peonies, Nepeta and Alchemilla set off by lush green lawns. This climate coupled with our vast gardening heritage has sparked a desire for beautiful gardens all year round.

At Nicholsons we have learnt a good few techniques to optimise garden designs and spaces. In general terms we favour keeping large blowsy borders near the house so that the area that takes the most time, gets the most attention and admiration.

Close to the house everything should look in order, terraced areas should be minimal but adequate to accommodate garden furniture and allow dry access to the garden. Planted pots on the terrace should be simple and matching to create harmony unless you really want a cottage look where a select mixture can be charming. Consider candle lanterns to light up your near house areas and encourage guests and family to “spill out” into the evening. If the tranquillity of your garden is compromised by traffic noise, consider a water feature to add a gentle background splashing to mask the traffic noise.

Further away from the main living area the garden can form a transitional link between the best groomed areas and the slightly wilder outer garden. It may be the perfect place for a potager; dressed up with topiary and box hedges or dressed down with simple grass paths and beds cut down straight into the soil. This gives a perfect place for young children to play safely within view of the house and for lawns and vistas to attract the eye.

Then on to the far garden; wild spaces where cow parsley billows through grassy meadows in May, the natural decay of abandoned log piles, the clusters of hawthorn blossom and the harvest of ripe fruit in the orchard in autumn. Here is where chickens rummage in the leaf mould and views continue out to the borrowed landscape beyond and poets find their inspiration.

We design and build gardens to enhance and add value to any property. We can advise on siting new buildings and extending existing ones, siting access drives and renovating existing heritage landscapes. We deal with all sizes of garden from a bijoux courtyard to stately homes.

We love gardens so please contact us for a free initial garden design consultation.

To find out more please visit the Nicholsons website or send an email to liz@nicholsons.gb.com.