David Keegans Garden Design Blog

Wednesday, 11 May 2016

Finished Garden Design Project Front & Back Garden, Worsley, Lancashire, by David Keegan Garden Design

Form & Function

A Finished Garden Design Project in Worsley, Lancashire.

Question; how do I make a garden relevant? Relevant to what and to whom? The garden owner’s needs, the changing environment, the passing seasons, conservation, conversation? Then there is the question of modernity within the context of the environment and traditionalism. Lawn, do you want a lawn, is a lawn feasible, perhaps not, its high maintenance and rarely ever trouble free. And expected planting beds? What are the new plants I will think to introduce for? Do you want to grow things just to look at, or do you also grow for the table and the pot? Herbs, maybe some salad leaves? Wood for the burner? Can we have habitat and blur the boundaries into soft edges, a frame within a frame, that captures the trees beyond. How do I then cram all this into a small suburban space and still make it functional and interesting and pleasing. It needs to be a picture, that is a picture whatever the weather, whatever the season, but equally it needs to fill and flow with the seasons as perennials lift their sleepy heads, break the surface of the soil in preparation for spectacle. This week the Cherry tree creates a white umbrella, lending a sense of airiness and purity, whilst its trunk casts pleasant shadows on the fence behind. The apple not far, heavy in white bud, on the cusp of open blossom, ready to offer a yet to come harvest when the air will fill with the wondrous smell of baking pastry, apple and cinnamon. The azalea not to be outdone, fills and will soon too shine. The fig in the corner not long planted, but already fruiting. The point of a garden is surely its connection to all the senses. The answer, this garden which I call the eco contemporary garden. I will not explain more, as there seems little need, it’s there in the pictures, visible, connecting, answering a need, by filling the frame of an eye. On a rare day the sun shines and the air fills with birdsong, I wait for the bees and the bugs to make this garden home.

Enjoy.

Back garden as first seen

Front Garden

Front garden as first seen

Special thanks to Kris and Shaun for all their dedicated skill and hard work, during a pretty horrendous winter, in making this garden a reality.

Friday, 11 March 2016

A garden design project in Worsley Lancashire, by David Keegan Garden Design

A Garden Design Project in Worsley

Work in Progress

Progress to date March 2016

I have to say I am very excited by this project as it now transforms from paper designs to living reality. Although it looks a small space in the before pictures, once cleared, it is actually quite a decent sized space. The brief, no lawn, and a space that creates a connection with the house extension which opens into the garden space via a set of bi-fold doors. The client is also fortunate enough to have a garden which is not overlooked and backs onto an area of trees, many of which are silver birch. This allowed me to use these as the backdrop to the internal spaces. This is garden that will make more sense as it is planted up and allowed a season to settle in, in the meantime the build progress pictures to date, with planting expected by the end of March early April. Watch this space for further updates as this garden progress over the coming months.

The gardens as first viewed

The Build

Wettest winter on record

The details

Hidden raised bed veg planters

The log store

In the center of it all chill out area

Sculptural cedar panels with raised bed veg planters, hidden to rear of panels, creating a multi purposed dimension and functionality. Rebates will have recessed lights to enhance and deepen the space at nighttime, whilst Coretn steel pots will be planted up with a variety of Acers.

Cedar panel with over-sized Corten steel pots

Black inset spaces in this picture will form living green walls.

Bug and insect houses

I sincerely hope you enjoy the pictures and please feel free to comment or ask questions.

Do not copy, publish, or use in any way, without the prior consent of the owner, David Keegan.

A small suburban back garden in Manchester, by David Keegan Garden Design

A small contemporary garden design project in Suburban Manchester

Who says suburbia has to be boring?

Who says a small space has to be a boring?

The garden as first viewed

Who says a garden has to have a lawn?

These are the questions I asked myself when I first went to visit the owners of this garden, and in turn it was the same set of questions i posed to them.

Your kids are grown up, or you don’t have kids, so what’s the lawn for?

A few facts about lawns in small spaces, they are one dimensional, high maintenance, costly, and rarely ever satisfying unless you are prepared to devote a large amount of time, energy and money into maintaining them. And, as I said, in a small space that’s just not a good idea! Fortunately my clients on this project agreed.

But first there were a number of issues that needed to be tackled. The drop from the living room to garden wasn’t inviting, or user friendly, the rear part of the garden had a tendency to become waterlogged when it rained and 2 very large inspection chamber lids dominated another part of the garden, and finally in a small space where to store things without the storage ruining the aesthetic of the finished gardens. All addressed by my new designs for the garden.

A Few More Pictures of The Garden As First Viewed

As mentioned in the text, the garden had 2 very large inspection chambers. Not an attractive sight but difficult to move too.

Not much to look at here and not a very inviting space to sit out in whatever the weather.

The water-logging as mentioned

The finished garden.

This is now a clean, contemporary, low maintenance, and user friendly space. A deck now leads off the back of the house creating a valuable addition to the usable living garden space near the house. Limestone paving to the perimeter keeps things light and airy, even on the darkest of Manchester days, whilst the black granite frames the path for contrast. Inset spot lights help to create warmth and depth in the evenings

The side entrance is now separated from the rest of the garden with an in keeping bespoke gate and slatted fence, paved in hard wearing grey granite. This space now provides the perfect out of sight storage area for pots and hose and tools without ruing the overall look of the garden beyond.

The raised bed to the perimeter of the garden not only raised the level of planting allowing greater screening and privacy, but also effectively creates a large seating area along the copings to the top of the rendered wall. A great space for a party or for entertaining friends. A floating seat to the corner creates a formalised seating area looking back towards the house. A great place to relax and read a book or the papers perhaps over a glass of wine.

The Photinia trees to the back raised bed will over time fill out creating a pleached hedge which will afford greater privacy and some nice background colour to the garden from the house. Planting at this size is a cost effective way of creating a pleached hedger without breaking the bank.

The dry river bed cobble garden to the center of the picture is planted with a variety of dwarf conifers which will over time spread out to create soft mounds but without overwhelming and taking over the space. They also provided the perfect way to create year round colour and contrast in a small space.

For this part of the garden close to the house i designed a simple water feature using decorative Welsh slate blocks set into a gabion basket and a galvanised climbing frame. The letterbox water feature now lends the soothing and relaxing sound of water to the finished garden as well as providing a low maintenance focal point feature. An existing honeysuckle way retained to add a bit of softness to all the straight lines. Although it does not look like much now it is sure to add a nice bust of green to this part of the garden this coming summer.