This garden, in a tiny Derbyshire village, has wonderful views all the way around it but is rather exposed to the elements.  The owner is a keen gardener which meant lots of lovely planting and we developed the garden in a traditional style that went with the existing stone walls.   The ‘before’ pictures show that, apart from the mature trees and some shrubs, there wasn’t much going on and the ‘after’ pictures show the dense mixture of shrubs and perennial plants in their third year; all beautifully looked after.  The pictures were taken on a rainy day but you get the idea…

The idea was to have a sociable space for entertaining and relaxing that didn’t require too much looking after.  No cutting the lawn on a summer’s evening,  just flopping down onto the sofa with a glass of wine!

Into a relatively small space we managed to fit a hot tub, a generous circular sofa with fire pit, a barbecue with built-in work surfaces and a large table for seating the extended family.

The space was divided up using contrasting areas of Bradstone paving.  Large planters from Adezz were used to add some softening colour and height in the form of small trees.  The fencing was made from western red cedar and adds a warm colour to the stylish greys.   Yew hedging was planted around the boundary and will be clipped into a formal low hedge.

The last picture shows how the garden looked before the transformation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The garden will be open as part of the Repton NGS Village Gardens group  on Monday 27th May (Bank Holiday)  and 21st July.  Opening times are 13.30-17.30.  Refreshemnts will be available.  Please see yellow book for details of which gardens will be open. 

On Sunday 16th June we shall also be open for Repton Open Gardens.  2pm – 6pm.

 

We will be opening the garden for the National Garden Scheme on 22nd July and 26th August 1.30-5.30pm.  This will be part of the Repton NGS Village Gardens Group.  All 6 gardens are open on the 22nd and 3 on the 26th.  Details can be found at https://www.ngs.org.uk

Askew Cottage will be open for Repton Open Gardens 2018 on Sunday 17th June 2pm-6pm.  There will be 14 gardens open in all including 3 at Repton School.  Programmes are available for £5 at the church lych gate or at any open garden.

 

 

The client wanted a contemporary garden and this was achieved with a geometric design that used blocks of porcelain paving contrasting with areas of lawn and clipped yew hedges. Square wooden frames for climbing plants help to provide privacy as the garden is ovelooked by the surrounding houses.  The materials used in the garden also help with the modern look.  These include two types of porcelain paving, one of which has a wood-grain effect, and Millboard composite decking.  These modern materials also have the advantage of being relatively low maintenance.   Bradstone suplied the paving and the garden features in the latest edition of their catalogue.   https://www.bradstone.com/products/contemporary-paving/mode-profiled-paving/        

 

 

 

This newly planted garden provides a large terrace that complements the architecture of the Georgian house and is ideal for entertaining.  The original wildlife pond was relocated from in front of the door and made more formal in keeping with the rest of the new garden, making sure that it was still accessible for wildlife.  The curved wall surrounding the new pond doubles as seating.  Planting in the beds around the terrace was pretty and informal with small structural shrubs and plenty of seasonal colour.  See https://www.facebook.com/louisehardwickgardendesign for more photos.

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Repton Open Gardens takes place this year on Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th of June 2pm-6pm. 16 gardens are open, including Askew Cottage. Tickets cost £5 per adult and are available on the day from the church lychgate.   All proceeds go towards the upkeep of St Wystan’s church.

Four gardens in Repton are open as part of the ‘Repton Village Gardens’ group.

Tea and cake are available at Chestnut Way and admission to all 4 is £6.00

Details of all the gardens are here:http://www.ngs.org.uk/gardens/find-a-garden/Garden.aspx?id=33674

Louise will be opening her garden for charity on the afternoons of May 22^nd, July 24^th and August 28^th as part of the Repton Village Garden Group for the National Gardens Scheme. You are very welcome to come along.

More information at www.ngs.org.uk