Chilterns gravel garden

Location: Wrap-around, resilient gravel garden in historic Chiltern village

Client Brief: Desire to replace the lawn which surrounds the house with a garden which can be enjoyed all-year round from within the kitchen and is also a place to sit, have a coffee and enjoy. The design should deliver an impressive entrance to the house and link the house, pond, wildflower meadow and front garden together coherently.

Site: 1/3rd acre, gently sloping site wrapping around the modern, contemporary detached family home

Design Concept: The front garden design takes its inspiration from the flowing Ranunculus vegetation forms found within the local chalk streams. The flowing design leads you through the loose, naturalistic planting along gravel pathways. Drought tolerant, pollinator friendly planting will thrive within the open gravel conditions. Places to sit and relax soaking up the fragrant and colourful planting. The gravel garden grounds the modern home within the landscape. The planting is resilient, colourful, fragrant and pollinator friendly providing year-round interest. Native multi-stem trees accentuate vistas and views across the rolling Chiltern Hills.

Discuss Your Project

Arrival Experience

The gravel garden wraps around the front of the house creating an impressive arrival experience. Multistem trees and raised borders create privacy and guide visitors towards the front door. The planting is low maintenance and will deliver year-round interest.
Celebrating the Landscape

The garden features an impressive, mature Oak tree which is coherently incorporated. A new terrace & steps lead from the front door straight into the gravel garden. Drought tolerant, resilient planting delivers, fragrance, colour and year-round interest. The garden links seamlessly with the rolling Chiltern Hills beyond.
Kitchen Views

Central to the brief was delivering an amazing view from within the house and this is delivered through new planted raised beds planted in a naturalistic, loose and flowing style

The Front Gravel Garden - porcelain terrace and steps leading down into the front garden

The Morning Coffee Spot - secluded spot enjoying the early morning sun

The Inspiration

The unique vegetation shapes, structure and organisation of the rare chalk stream bed is the design inspiration for the gravel garden. It is the Ranunculus penicillatus (Chalk stream Water Crowfoot) which gives the river bed its distinctive appearance.
Evolving the Design

Bold asymmetrical shapes move across the space. Areas of loose planting with pathways of Flintstone gravel meandering through. Focal points and views amplified. Creating a meaningful journey around the house.
Grounded in the landscape

I believe deeply that a garden must be grounded in the landscape within which it sits. Achieving this is a key part of the design process and essential for the garden to feel ‘right.’ This garden flows and undulates, is loose and open just like the rolling Chilterns Hills.