Garden Tour: A Colourful Paradise for a Couple Who Love to Cook
A makeover gave these homeowners a plant-filled outdoor space they can enjoy alone or with friends
The couple who own this garden were hoping for a bright space full of zingy plants where they could grow vegetables, cook outdoors with friends, or sit quietly beside water. They hired garden designer Jackie Gough to help them fit their wishlist into the plot, and the result is a versatile, relaxed garden that will fill up over time with bright, sweet-scented flowers.
The original space was a standard plot with a rectangle of grass and a patio. The couple decided to leave the patio as it was, but wanted more contemporary paving elsewhere. Jackie found sandstone slabs that tied in with the original paving.
She built a brick flowerbed to the side of the patio doors and filled it full of plants including heuchera, geraniums and hostas. Jasmine, roses and clematis will eventually climb up an ornate trellis behind and grow over the pergola.
Trellis, Screen With Envy.
She built a brick flowerbed to the side of the patio doors and filled it full of plants including heuchera, geraniums and hostas. Jasmine, roses and clematis will eventually climb up an ornate trellis behind and grow over the pergola.
Trellis, Screen With Envy.
Alongside a freestanding barbecue, Jackie’s team built a brick outdoor kitchen for the couple. A tagine oven is flanked by two cupboards with cedar wood doors topped with granite worksurfaces. To the left of this is a rotisserie area.
Inspired by this makeover? Find garden designers and landscape architects in your area and read previous client reviews.
Inspired by this makeover? Find garden designers and landscape architects in your area and read previous client reviews.
Jackie located a pond near to the patio that stretches the whole width of the garden. “Originally, we’d designed stepping stones over it,” she says, “but as this was the only access into the garden, it made sense to go for a more practical, filled-in bridge.”
The owners were keen to have a quiet seating spot next to the pond, so Jackie designed a bench area with an arbour above it.
“We chose gravel here to differentiate it from the rest of the space,” she says. “Climbing roses and clematis will grow over the trellis and arbour, and the lush planting will surround the space.”
“We chose gravel here to differentiate it from the rest of the space,” she says. “Climbing roses and clematis will grow over the trellis and arbour, and the lush planting will surround the space.”
As the owner is an avid cook, she wanted to start growing her own ingredients. Jackie turned the middle section of the garden into a place to cultivate edible plants.
The greenhouse needed to be practical yet ornamental, as it’s in a prominent position. “We designed an octagonal spot and the owners chose a suitable greenhouse to fit in the space,” Jackie says.
To the left is a raised bed for vegetables, while a fig tree is planted behind the greenhouse. “There’s also an olive tree, which isn’t edible, but goes with the foodie theme,” she adds.
The greenhouse needed to be practical yet ornamental, as it’s in a prominent position. “We designed an octagonal spot and the owners chose a suitable greenhouse to fit in the space,” Jackie says.
To the left is a raised bed for vegetables, while a fig tree is planted behind the greenhouse. “There’s also an olive tree, which isn’t edible, but goes with the foodie theme,” she adds.
A contemporary path leads through a series of low borders, raised beds and wooden arches towards a cosy seating area and shed. From the sofa spot and firepit (see next photo), the owners can look through the arches right down to the back of the house.
The rear seating area is surrounded by pretty plants including geums, salvia and jasmine. “The couple really wanted bright colours – reds, yellows, purples and oranges,” Jackie says.
“They were brave in their design choices, which has paid off, as the garden feels different,” she says. “They love the space and, as the plants grow, it will become even more zingy and lush.”
Tell us…
What’s your favourite spot in this cheerful garden? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
“They were brave in their design choices, which has paid off, as the garden feels different,” she says. “They love the space and, as the plants grow, it will become even more zingy and lush.”
Tell us…
What’s your favourite spot in this cheerful garden? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
Who lives here? A couple with older children who’ve left home
Location Hertfordshire
Property A three-bedroom semi-detached house
Designer Jackie Gough of Jackie Gough Garden Design
There were quite a few things the owners of this garden wanted to add to their plot, but the main aim was to create a space they could enjoy with friends and family. “The wife loves to cook and they have a barbecue, tagine and rotisserie for outdoor cooking,” Jackie says.
The couple’s wishlist included an outdoor kitchen, a seating area, a quite spot to sit beside a pond, and a greenhouse in which to grow vegetables. “I just needed to work out how to fit everything in,” Jackie says.
Beige sawn sandstone paving slabs, London Stone.