Small Terraced Restorative Garden, Bristol

The Garden Brief

The brief for this garden went much deeper than creating an enjoyable and relaxing garden. The client had recently lost her son and this garden would become a way in which to incorporate a place to enjoy happy memories from a shared love of the garden and food. A nourishing and restorative place.

The house was undergoing an extensive restoration project with the kitchen being moved to the back of the house with new French doors opening up onto the back garden.

The existing garden didn’t provide much space to easily enjoy. A shady terrace was situated to the side of the future kitchen with a small paths widths wrap around to the back new French doors. The garden then stepped down to a lawn which sloped quite steeply before reaching a sunken dumping zone behind an apple tree. There wasn’t much space to sit easily out on. 

The garden did have some beautiful existing trees which we wanted to incorporate into the design including an apple tree, which over the years with some interesting pruning, wrapped the back of the garden providing privacy along with a stunning textural acer tree. 

The client loves to have family and friends over to share food, this new house renovation opening the back of the house with the new kitchen onto the garden provided lots of potential to create a welcoming heart for entertaining.

The Garden Design

The new east facing windows and French doors allow the morning light to flood into the kitchen. Opening the doors and stepping out the now spacious and extended terrace is the perfect place to enjoy a peaceful morning coffee with just the birds for company.

The outdoor kitchen sits nestled to one side just outside the French doors and the dining area is just out of view along the terrace, whilst planting is brought right up to the doors and windows. This top terrace is now extended to accommodate abundant planting, a cooking area and a dining area. This new entertaining hub of the house and garden are seamlessly linked and provide the perfect space to share food and enjoyable time with family and friends. This was key to the brief for the future enjoyment of the garden and the shared love of cooking and entertaining the client and her son had. 

Framed from the new side window is a new border with abundant luscious planting and a small Amelanchier tree above a still reflective water bowl. Under the window a planting border immerses the window seat into the garden. Tall textural planting rustles and sways in the window frame. The kitchen feels truly connected to the garden through both the views and the easy flow. 

Stepping down off the main paved terrace onto clay paver steps the garden becomes more informal, echoed through the change in material and path only wide enough for one person. Herbs spill out onto the path, softly scenting as you brush past. 

Just below the main terrace is a new gravel terrace surrounded by planting. Slightly sunken into the garden this area provides a sheltered spot to enjoy the sunshine in privacy. 

Stepping down further into the garden the path continues alongside the lawn. Both sloping to avoid expensive stepped terraces throughout the garden. At the bottom of the garden a welcoming deck floats above the old dumping ground (now a useful and hidden dumping ground / storage area accessed through side cupboard doors to the deck). 

The beautiful old apple tree breaks through the deck, spans across it with its gnarly branches and wraps down the back to create a cocoon of dappled shade over the deck. This with the soft planting pockets punctuating through root the deck into the garden. A calm and inviting destination to enjoy the soft light through the tree and low evening light as it drops and filters down. 

The garden provides restorative tranquility with soft reflective moments in balance with more vibrant entertaining spaces. The garden evolves both through the seasons and across a day, as it changes with the moving sunlight and soft glow in the morning and evenings. 

A garden to feel truly connected, nourished and calm. 

Landscapers: Alder Landscapes

Plants provided by: Tortworth Plants Nursery