Saturday 29 March 2014

Garden Design Whitefield Manchester, By David Keegan Garden Design



A Garden Transformation in Whitefield, Manchester



This is a perfect example of how an out of date and overgrown garden can be transformed and turned into a useful family garden.



As you can see from the before pictures below, although this is in reality quite a decent sized plot,  it looks small and gloomy due to the overgrown abundance of conifers.



Equally the rear garden, which is not a very deep space to begin with, is made even smaller due to the location and over-sized concrete steps, along with a further collection of overgrown conifers.


A requirement of my landscape design brief was to include a set of electric gates. I designed the ones pictured below specifically for this project and had them manufactured by a Manchester based metal fabricator


Two types of granite block paving was installed to replace the worn and dreary tarmac drive.  Paving for parking area is laid in a circular pattern for contrast, which is further enhanced by inset black granite block paving. Coping to original retaining wall to front garden was retained, cleaned, and reused as it turned out to be quality York stone copings.  Concrete steps and paving were removed and all re-clad with black slate to tie in with designs for rear garden.


 My garden designs  for this project also included a small formal rose garden to the front, removal of all the conifers to side area, and replacement with a large usable lawn, and planted with a black Magnolia to the lawn center as a focal point. 






Steps to the rear area were removed, and new  smaller steps installed leading up to a brick built barbecue area. This maximized the internal lawn space and turned the recreational focus internally to the garden and lawn.


Walls and paths are now clad in black slate giving a clean and contemporary look to the garden, whilst slate coping to the top of walls creates additional seating in the garden. Box hedging is used to provide an aesthetic visual break as well as a safety barrier. A floating bench was attached to the wall as this area is directly opposite a set of French doors leading off a living room area.


As it is a detached property the opposite side-way to house was a dark and unused space. This  was transformed with the installation of timber fencing, a shed, and hard standing, making sensible use of what would otherwise be wasted property. 





Arched double wall timber screen gate can be seen in pictures above. This area is now a very useful storage area for lawnmower, tools, and bicycles. All timber-work was constructed using American Yellow Pine, a sustainable, durable, and pleasing alternative to hardwood. David Keegan Garden Design do not promote, or condone, the use of hardwoods in their designs, as all involve the destruction of virgin rain-forest  along with loss of valuable and irreplaceable wildlife habitat. 



I sincerely hope you enjoy the pictures and please feel free to comment or ask questions.
All pictures are the copyrighted property of David Keegan © 2014
Do not copy, publish, or use in any way, without the prior consent of the owner, David Keegan.

Picture size and quality is reduced for these postings in order to protect the integrity of the expressed and legal copyright © 2014

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