Large Country Front Garden

This beautiful Jura Grey limestone entrance platform is part of a front garden re-design in Hertfordshire. A dated front garden with difficult parking was transformed into a simpler more elegant layout to match the home.

Clients for this garden wanted to replace a very dated front garden. The original layout meant that parking and turning was not easy and with the need to accomodate a larger number of cars. There was a need to simplify the driveway while also creating beautiful planting to soften the driveway with colourful, naturalistic and low maintenance planting. The wrap-around nature of the front garden also meant that a new area of garden could be created, with a firepit enclosed with bespoke timber seats.

Style

Driveway, Entrance and Fire Pit Garden

Location

Harpenden

Features

Limestone Paving, Fire Pit, Nectar Rich Planting

The Story Behind the Garden

The original front garden to this house felt dated and did not reflect the contemporary country style of the owners. Parking access was narrow and moving cars around on the drive was difficult. There was a need to simplify both the hardscape areas as well as the planting. The narrow blocked paved drive was re-designed to create more space around the front of the property. A large curved entrance platform, beautifully crafted with Jura Grey limestone with statement bullnosed edges and space for two large circular planters.

Existing planted borders were re-designed to maintain colour and interest but to provide a more sophisticated and cohesive look alongside the new driveway and entrance.

A new ‘pocket garden’ was created to the far end of the drive. This sunny spot was enclosed with mature Portuguese Laurel heding to create privacy and a beautiful boulder and pebble garden created. In the centre, a circular cast iron fire pit provides a sociable focal point with bespoke curved timber seating on two sides.

This sunny area of the garden is a perfect spot for sunny, drought tolerant Mediterranean planting including Agapathnus, Gaura, Panicum, Sedums and Salvias, all designed to create colour and draw in beautiful butterflies and bees.

An existing curving sandstone path was retained. Beautiful climbing plants were added to the walls of the garage to soften the brickwork with scented, evergreen foliage.

By the house, dramatic foliage planting included Hydrangea ‘Strong Annabelle’ alongside lush evergreen planting to create low maintenance planting which will look attractive all year. By the house two striking Yew spirals in pots create a strong sense of arrival and are perfectly in scale with the large property.

Evening lighting was a particular feature of this garden with uplighting on Pleached Trees by the entrance gates. Feature lighting on the curved step and ‘turret’ create an impressive drama in dusk and evening. Find out more about this garden by taking a look at the full project gallery below.

Transformation Captured in Three Moments

All of the gardens that we design are rendered in 3D so that you can clearly how each area of the garden will look when completed.

This was a very large front garden, but the space felt hard to use. By creating a larger driveway and re-designing the planted borders more space was created and different larger spaces were created for planting. With teenage daughters soon to be driving there needed to be much more space for cars to manoeuvre safely.

New hedging was introduced alongside the large garage to seperate an area of the front garden to create a new ‘pocket garden’. This area was planted with pebble planting for low maintenance and drought tolerant Mediterranean planting. The sunny, secluded and informal atmosphere in this part of the garden created a perfect spot for a fire pit, a place to gather and socialise with family and friends.

The transformation of the garden was dramatic. Previously it felt cramped, difficult to park and planting felt un-cohesive and crowded. The re-organisation of the space and the use of stabilised gravel to provide a soft perimeter to the house created a spacious ‘country house’ feel. This was much more in keeping with the pared back sophisticated style of the house interior.

The beautifully cool grey limestone with a heavy bullnosed curving face, echoes the shape of the curved turret and the colour of the limestone is carefully matched to the pale grey of the house doors and windows.

As a counterpoint to the simplicity of the drive and entrance, rich planting by the house, and at the perimeter of the drive provides a rich pop of colour throughout the summer. The plants used also provide a rich source of nectar for pollinators.

Designer’s Insight

The driveway, entrance and garden has changed beyond all recognition. It’s very much more in keeping with our style and how we want to use the garden. The lighting design is beautiful and in particular the lights around the step and turret create an impressive sense of arrival at night. We’re delighted.

Ben – Harpenden

Full gallery