Refined outlook
New lawn, ornamental features, planters, decorative edging and strategic lighting turn a small angular rear yard into a functional designer area
Designed by Dean Philip Saunders, Outlook Landscapes
From the landscape designer:
This design aims to create a more inviting & functional landscape to the rear area of the homeowner's property, while maintaining an overall rich European styling in the design.
The existing perimeter hedge provided privacy and a vertical green space to the new layout.
Lifting the hedge canopy to create a pleached (a style of growing trees in a line with their branches tied together to form a plane above the trunk) look, adding a more sophisticated aesthetic to the garden while allowing space for a lush, mass underplanting of osmanthus ‘pearlygates’ or murraya paniculata.
Both plants are heavily scented with blossoms of small white flowers that are prominent in the warmer months of the year.
A new level, sand-based tall fescue lawn anchors the new design, providing both an elegant and functional space from which to enjoy the garden and entertain.
A 120mm-wide x 100mm-deep concrete mowing strip frames the garden aesthetic & elevates the sense of style in the design, while creating a practical separation between the new garden and lawn areas.
Two new 400mm-wide x 500mm-high concrete plinths each support an existing bronze sphere to create focal points and bring an architectural dimension to the landscape.
Soft recessed uplights incorporated into the garden layout transform the space in the twilight hours and bring additional elegance to the overall design.
Two 940mm-wide x 640mm-deep x h690mm-high white oval shaped planters, sit proud at either end of the covered patio area detailing a cordon design pyrus calleryana ‘ornamental pear’ or carpinus betulus 'hornbeam’ tree with a cascading soleirolia soleirolii.
A ficus pumlia creeper can be grown on the existing concrete pillar, to create a new vertical greenspace to the patio area.
This design maximises the existing available space, while establishing a functional and refined outdoor landscape setting.
It was a small angular rear yard redesigned to be a more functional designer area.
The site was very restrictive, with the only access through the house and a narrow sloping side path – it was a difficult job but turned out well.
Designed by: Dean Philip Saunders, Outlook Landscapes
Story by: Trendsideas
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