Contemporary Woodland Garden - Norham

The brief: For this moderately sized residential garden belonging to a period property in the pretty village of Norham, the client requested an overall contemporary style with a woodland feel. A perfectly level and square lawn was a must, along with a patio for dining and lounging outside the existing contemporary garden room. The garden also needed to offer something of interest all year round.

There was an existing mature silver birch tree, so I centred the woodland border around it. I decided this would be the most complex area of planting.

I started with smaller varieties of early spring bulbs, along with variegated Pulmonaria and Brunnera to provide two seasons of interest, first through flowers and then foliage. Classic foxgloves in peach added height, while Aconitum brought late-summer colour. Variegated dogwoods provided texture through the main season and into winter, with a backdrop of Pyracantha ‘Soleil d’Or’ for early flowers followed by orange berries into the winter months.

For the rest of the garden, the planting palette needed to be simple and bold to fit within the contemporary brief.

A ‘hedge’ of gorgeous, blousy white Hydrangea ‘Madame Emile Mouillère’ emerged from the woodland border and followed the neighbour’s boundary. Another ‘hedge’ of Lavender ‘Hidcote’ created a veil of colour and scent around the sunken seating area next to the house.

I cut into the rectangular patio with blocks of Buxus and lavender to create the feeling of being nestled within the planting, while still maintaining clean contemporary lines.

As a final, simple touch, I placed three planters against the garden room with variegated Hostas, helping to draw the building into the garden rather than leaving it feeling like part of the boundary.

The lawn was edged with folded-top 3mm black steel edging to keep the lines crisp.

The client also asked me to commission and install two large steel planters for the front of the house, planted with Buxus hedging. The black steel was designed to oxidise over time, creating a warm, earthy brown finish.

I designed and project managed the garden. The majority of the work was carried out and site managed by a small, dedicated and skilled team of contractors whom I had worked with regularly on previous projects. I sourced all materials and completed the planting.

The client messaged me out of the blue the following season to say, ‘...just to say thank you for my beautiful garden, Clare.’

I truly appreciated that.