Yard of the Week: Seasons of Blooms in an Idyllic English Garden
A landscape designer transforms his own yard from a square of lawn to an inviting, plant-filled retreat
The yard that landscape designer Nigel Philips inherited when he and his wife bought their East Sussex, England, home was a good size and pleasant enough, but it was a bit dull and an 8-foot drop from the house. The challenge was to connect the outdoor space to the home and create a leafy haven with year-round interest.
Before: Beyond the massive drop in level that needed to be tackled, Philip’s key aims for the property (seen here in its original state) were to create the longest view possible, devise a journey through diverse areas to help the space feel bigger, create seating spots with different vistas and ensure there would be year-round interest with succession planting.
After: The longest view of the yard is from the back door to an existing cork tree (Phellodendron sp.) in the opposite corner. “When you’re looking diagonally across a small space, it gives you the maximum amount of viewing length, so it tends to make the [landscape] seem a bit longer,” the designer says.
He built a small patio with steps across the corner to create a leisurely descent into the yard, taking in a wider angle. The steps are made of stone-topped stacked tiles. Philips copied them from the historic house Great Dixter, designed by architect Edwin Lutyens, “because Lutyens was a great advocate of using tile and stone,” he says.
“Between the back of the stone and the tiling riser, I’ve left a gap and put in an inch of soil,” Philip adds. The spaces are now filled with Latin American fleabane (Erigeron karvinskianus, USDA Zone 6; find your zone), which softens the stonework. “It’s a great little plant — you only need one in a [landscape], and it seeds itself all over the place. It takes the edge off the hard landscaping,” he says. “Dividing the steps up, hiding them and bringing the planting as close to the house as possible all help to disguise the 8-foot drop.”
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He built a small patio with steps across the corner to create a leisurely descent into the yard, taking in a wider angle. The steps are made of stone-topped stacked tiles. Philips copied them from the historic house Great Dixter, designed by architect Edwin Lutyens, “because Lutyens was a great advocate of using tile and stone,” he says.
“Between the back of the stone and the tiling riser, I’ve left a gap and put in an inch of soil,” Philip adds. The spaces are now filled with Latin American fleabane (Erigeron karvinskianus, USDA Zone 6; find your zone), which softens the stonework. “It’s a great little plant — you only need one in a [landscape], and it seeds itself all over the place. It takes the edge off the hard landscaping,” he says. “Dividing the steps up, hiding them and bringing the planting as close to the house as possible all help to disguise the 8-foot drop.”
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The site plan shows the diagonal steps offering a view across the landscape’s longest stretch.
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
Before: Here we see another view of the original drop between the home and landscape. To disguise it further, Philips had a clever plan.
After: Three steps (the lower one of which can just be seen, far left) lead down to a patio, which drops down to a pond and in turn to a bench, creating a much gentler line.
The pond is about 3 feet deep and contains lots of fish and a couple of frogs. There’s no filter or pump. “A pond that is deep enough finds its own microclimate,” Philips says. “This one goes cloudy occasionally, but then it clears again, so all I have to do is two or three times a year take out the oxygenating plants and the lily pads when they get too much.”
The iris in the far corner is in a pot sitting on a concrete ledge that offers a way for the frogs to clamber in and out. “They hide between the pot and the brickwork, so they’re quite well hidden,” Philips says.
He designed the fence, which is mild steel. “I let it go rusty and then varnished it, so the rust doesn’t come off but it has that natural, brownish look,” he says. “I designed it to be almost invisible but prevent anyone from falling into the pond.”
The railing is a nice height for leaning on and looking down into the water. “You don’t often get that view of a pond,” he says. “When it’s nice and clear, you can see right down to the bottom and watch the fish.”
The drop farther along is softened by a boxwood (Buxus sp.) hedge, while a cypress tree flanks stone steps between the pond and hedge. “This is my little view of Italy,” the designer says. “Italy’s made up of water, stone and evergreen, so that gives it the flavor. If you look from this spot, you get the stone, the water and the evergreen with the box hedge and the Italian cypress tree. I love Italian gardens, and it’s just a little reminder.”
On the left is a productive kitchen garden with four raised beds, plus a shed and a greenhouse.
The pond is about 3 feet deep and contains lots of fish and a couple of frogs. There’s no filter or pump. “A pond that is deep enough finds its own microclimate,” Philips says. “This one goes cloudy occasionally, but then it clears again, so all I have to do is two or three times a year take out the oxygenating plants and the lily pads when they get too much.”
The iris in the far corner is in a pot sitting on a concrete ledge that offers a way for the frogs to clamber in and out. “They hide between the pot and the brickwork, so they’re quite well hidden,” Philips says.
He designed the fence, which is mild steel. “I let it go rusty and then varnished it, so the rust doesn’t come off but it has that natural, brownish look,” he says. “I designed it to be almost invisible but prevent anyone from falling into the pond.”
The railing is a nice height for leaning on and looking down into the water. “You don’t often get that view of a pond,” he says. “When it’s nice and clear, you can see right down to the bottom and watch the fish.”
The drop farther along is softened by a boxwood (Buxus sp.) hedge, while a cypress tree flanks stone steps between the pond and hedge. “This is my little view of Italy,” the designer says. “Italy’s made up of water, stone and evergreen, so that gives it the flavor. If you look from this spot, you get the stone, the water and the evergreen with the box hedge and the Italian cypress tree. I love Italian gardens, and it’s just a little reminder.”
On the left is a productive kitchen garden with four raised beds, plus a shed and a greenhouse.
The couple inherited an apple tree (seen on the far right in the previous photo and beyond the white sweet peas here), under which Philips has planted a meadow. “I kept on poking my eye out when I was mowing the lawn underneath it, so I turned it into long grass and then planted it up with a succession of bulbs — crocus, snowdrops, then three different types of narcissus, one after the other, then Camassia, iris and finally oxeye daisies, which come out at the end of June,” he says.
“After that, I cut it all down with a scythe and keep it at about 4 inches, so there’s a textural difference between that and the mown grass,” he says. “Then the apples fall onto the soft grass, and I’m able to pick them up. I cut it right down after the apples have fallen, so I can seed the snowdrops and crocuses to come up in January.”
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“After that, I cut it all down with a scythe and keep it at about 4 inches, so there’s a textural difference between that and the mown grass,” he says. “Then the apples fall onto the soft grass, and I’m able to pick them up. I cut it right down after the apples have fallen, so I can seed the snowdrops and crocuses to come up in January.”
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Before: This photo was taken partway through building the pond (left) and the kitchen garden.
After: Looking down the landscape to the right of the diagonal steps, there’s a bed filled with cool-colored pastel blooms, including ornamental allium (Allium sp.), love-in-a-mist (Nigella damascena, zones 2 to 11) and pale yellow-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium striatum, zones 5 to 9), with the white ‘Albéric Barbier’ climbing rose (Rosa ‘Albéric Barbier’, zones 5 to 9) on the fence. The latter has since been changed to Rosa ‘Iceberg’, whose flowers remain white rather than fading to brown.
The large pink peonies were existing, and Philips worked the border around them. He planted a southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora, zones 7 to 9) at the end of this view to close a gap and increase privacy.
The large pink peonies were existing, and Philips worked the border around them. He planted a southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora, zones 7 to 9) at the end of this view to close a gap and increase privacy.
At the end of the pastel bed is another seating area. Philips planted boxwood balls at the corners of the flower beds. “All the borders have this rounded shrub,” he says. “They’re structural plants and give a bit of unity throughout the [landscape]. You don’t necessarily have to go for the same plant if they’re the same shape, so you could have a clipped hebe or yew.”
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Opposite the pastel border is a bed filled with hotter-colored blooms.
“These flower later in the season, so that when I cut all the grass down [in the meadow area], it reveals this border at the back and it should be at its peak,” Philips says. Plants include bright red montbretia (Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’, zones 5 to 9), poppies and purple cranesbill (Geranium psilostemon, zones 5 to 7).
“These flower later in the season, so that when I cut all the grass down [in the meadow area], it reveals this border at the back and it should be at its peak,” Philips says. Plants include bright red montbretia (Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’, zones 5 to 9), poppies and purple cranesbill (Geranium psilostemon, zones 5 to 7).
At the end of the path between the meadow and the hot-colored border is a pergola covered in clematis, rose and honeysuckle. “It’s a bit crowded but has that luxurious feel about it,” Philips says.
“The idea of the planting is to not know where you are to a certain extent, so you get lost in it,” he explains. “But there’s always a way around — all [landscapes] should have good circulation — so whichever path you walk down, you’ll be coming out into another part of the [yard]. Because you crisscross it, you tend to get lost, which is good.”
Through the pergola is a swing seat. “This area is beautifully shaded during the day, then catches the last of the sun in the early evening,” he says.
“The idea of the planting is to not know where you are to a certain extent, so you get lost in it,” he explains. “But there’s always a way around — all [landscapes] should have good circulation — so whichever path you walk down, you’ll be coming out into another part of the [yard]. Because you crisscross it, you tend to get lost, which is good.”
Through the pergola is a swing seat. “This area is beautifully shaded during the day, then catches the last of the sun in the early evening,” he says.
Looking across the meadow and past the apple tree, you can see the lawn, which is lovely for summer socializing. “If we have a party, I stick a table in the middle of the lawn,” the designer says. “I think it’s very French to do that.”
The landscape, with its varied areas and vistas, is always evolving, and that’s just how Philips likes it. As he says, “The joy of gardening is, you’re always striving for perfection and never quite reaching it.”
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The landscape, with its varied areas and vistas, is always evolving, and that’s just how Philips likes it. As he says, “The joy of gardening is, you’re always striving for perfection and never quite reaching it.”
More on Houzz
Read more landscape design stories
Get landscape design ideas
Find a landscape designer or architect
Shop for outdoor products
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: Landscape designer Nigel Philips and his wife, who have grown-up children
Location: East Sussex, England
Size: 3,696 square feet (343 square meters); 66 by 56 feet
Landscape designer: Nigel Philips
Just as he would when designing for clients, Philips began by ascertaining what his plot had to offer. “I look to see whether there are any views, privacy issues or changes in level,” he says. “So it might be this frames a view, or that turns the view away from something.”
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