Here is another brilliant article from our SE10 Magazine and we also give it to Jonathan Wild, A thoroughly modern gardener. Being a reasonably down-to-earth Yorkshireman, I tend to favour a ‘meat and two veg’ kind of garden which is stuffed with plants, lots of nice curving paths, big borders, a pond full of critters, a bit of lawn and of course a Man Shed for escapism. However, it is becoming more apparent that my Garden Yorkshireness isn’t something that is universally accepted, as more and more people just want a garden they can enjoy and relax in, rather than slave over every spare moment they have.
They don’t want luxuriant and bountiful displays of flowers that need primping and preening. Their idea of heaven is effectively to have another room outside that might need the odd bit of tidying up, but certainly nothing more serious that could ever be classified as gardening!
They don’t want luxuriant and bountiful displays of flowers that need primping and preening. Their idea of heaven is effectively to have another room outside that might need the odd bit of tidying up, but certainly nothing more serious that could ever be classified as gardening!
However, regardless of my humble roots and gardening credentials, I can still see the attraction of a garden that doesn’t need constant weeding and includes evergreen lawns and lots of interesting hard landscaping. Yes, it’s a bit of a weird concept to yours truly - but then so was decimalisation and the interweb and I’ve just about cracked both of those.
Thankfully, I grasped this whole ‘contemporary’ garden look a few years ago now and have been happily (sounds very Ab Fab darling...!) flaunting my prowess with such revelations as porcelain paving, rendered raised beds, integrated lighting, outdoor cooking areas, slatted fencing, minimalist planting schemes and, of course, the controversial plastic lawn. Most of these features have now been around for some time and for anyone who is looking for a new ‘fitted’ garden to replace their existing plot, it’s very much a case of what do you want to leave out – not what clever new feature can we add.
Thankfully, I grasped this whole ‘contemporary’ garden look a few years ago now and have been happily (sounds very Ab Fab darling...!) flaunting my prowess with such revelations as porcelain paving, rendered raised beds, integrated lighting, outdoor cooking areas, slatted fencing, minimalist planting schemes and, of course, the controversial plastic lawn. Most of these features have now been around for some time and for anyone who is looking for a new ‘fitted’ garden to replace their existing plot, it’s very much a case of what do you want to leave out – not what clever new feature can we add.
Key to the contemporary garden are stark, clean lines with everything laid out on a grid pattern to give lots of angles and features which adjoin each other. There is also very much a vertical aspect to the garden, with the full height of the plot utilised by pergolas or feature trees.
The connection to the interior of the house is really important and details such as running a flooring material from the inside to the outside is a relatively easy and elegant feature which adds to the spacious feel of the whole garden. You can still achieve a great result if you use a complimentary material such as hardwood or composite decking to walk out onto, as this gives an unexpectedly luxurious feel when you kick your shoes off in the summer!
The connection to the interior of the house is really important and details such as running a flooring material from the inside to the outside is a relatively easy and elegant feature which adds to the spacious feel of the whole garden. You can still achieve a great result if you use a complimentary material such as hardwood or composite decking to walk out onto, as this gives an unexpectedly luxurious feel when you kick your shoes off in the summer!
An important factor to bear in mind is to not overdo the types of materials and finishes you use in the garden – better known as the rule of 3. A paving material, rendered finish or stone or brick for the raised beds and a slatted fence is enough, any other hard material is going to tip it all out of kilter aesthetically. The same is true for the all important planting as well – although I would suggest that trying to keep it down to 3 different species is going to be a big ask, particularly if I’m designing it for you!
A contemporary garden needs to look great 365 a year, 24 hours a day – particularly if you have outside lighting and fancy cooking the Christmas Turkey all fresco! Through the judicious use of topiary such as Box balls (or for a more Elton John look, some lofty spirals(, underplanted with fine grasses such as Stipa and Carex, you have a good basis for introducing some colour.
However, this is where it all gets very personal – and I always listen very carefully to my customers who have a particular penchant for certain colours as I don’t want to spoil the very sleek contemporary look with the wrong plants. Heaven forbid that I sneak a large portion of meat and two veg in amongst the caviar and lobster nibbles!
However, this is where it all gets very personal – and I always listen very carefully to my customers who have a particular penchant for certain colours as I don’t want to spoil the very sleek contemporary look with the wrong plants. Heaven forbid that I sneak a large portion of meat and two veg in amongst the caviar and lobster nibbles!
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