THE BRIEF

Situated on the corner of a residential street, the property—a maisonette—initially had only a driveway and a small, neglected patch of lawn, making it feel quite exposed. Our clients, both NHS doctors, envisioned a sunken garden as their personal sanctuary—a tranquil retreat from the hustle and bustle of daily life where they could unwind after long, busy days. The wife, whose mother is originally from the Seychelles, has a deep love for the island’s lush, tropical feel, and so they asked if we could bring a touch of the Seychelles to Southwest London!

THE DESIGN

We excavated the lawn to create a tranquil sunken garden, designed to naturally buffer street noise. A sleek, powder-coated steel water feature cascades gently to a lower level, further masking the sounds of passing cars.
An extra long bespoke bench was designed so that they can host friends into the evening and on the other side we created a built in sun lounger to lie back, relax and listen to the slow trickle of the water.
For the raised planters and garden walls, we chose a bold, vibrant red, which strikingly contrasts with the lush greenery. The planting features warm oranges and splashes of purple blooms, set against a backdrop of abundant foliage.
Encircling the sunken garden is a species-rich meadow lawn, teeming with colourful flowers and alive with pollinators, bringing the space to life.

THE PLACE:
Clapton town house garden.

THE BRIEF:
Viriditas were tasked to refresh this Clapton couple’s garden elevating some of the features they loved like the existing pond, editing the trees and shrubs which had outgrown the space and adding wildlife friendly planting that would not only please Clapton’s local wildlife but also be beautiful when the couple look out of their windows onto the space.

THE DESIGN:
The couples pond has been expanded into a naturalistic pool for their coy carp to explore amoungst multi-level planting including water iris and lillys.

Oversized boulders in warm sandstone now mark the existing level change nestling into the decking with rockery planting inhabiting the nooks and crannies between.

Across the bridge lies the outdoor dining area placed to make the most of the gardens last light ensconced in planting beds to all sides.

THE PLACE:
Full back-to-brick renovation and extension of a Victorian property in Ladbrook Grove.

THE BRIEF:
Create a laid back, contemporary, design that looks beautiful when viewed from inside. To be filled with plants that have gorgeous big leaves, lots of green and not too many flowers!

THE DESIGN:

We chose a soft creamy clay paver to line the terrace, the hard rectilinear lines of the beds are softened as Hakonechloa and Pittosporum spill over the edges blurring the boundaries between hard and soft.

The dining area at the back is hidden from view surrounded by drought tolerant olives and salvia. Passion flower and scented Jasmin cover the walls and bamboo lines the back bed creating privacy and hiding the unsightly air source heat pump. It was a delight planting this project up, bees starting feasting on the new plants before they were even in the ground!

A bespoke kitchen sits outside of the house, and Nkuku terracotta planters are filled with herbs, perfect for seasoning the food as it goes onto the BBQ.

Set within the picturesque Berkshire countryside, Wasing Estate is less than an hour from London, covering several hundred acres of farmland, woodland and lakes. 

As well as hosting weddings in what is currently the ‘Secret Walled Garden’, Wasing also offers a safe environment for wellbeing retreats.

They wanted to expand this side of their business, creating a series of healing gardens. I was tasked to reinvigorate 8 acres of land surrounding the Secret Walled Garden, connecting it to the manor house where guests will be staying for their wellbeing retreats.

A sensitive touch was needed throughout this project keeping some of the beautiful old features such as the Victorian glass houses and gorgeous stonework whilst bringing the gardens into the 21st century. 

THE PLACE:
An imposing gothic mansion in leafy Hampstead.

THE BRIEF:
To update the planting in the barren beds after an extensive renovation of the ground floor.

THE DESIGN:
The beds had been totally compacted and the soil destroyed during the renovation process so we first had to the get the soil right, adding in lots of organic matter and loosening it up so oxygen could once again flow through.

Once this was done we replanted the extra large 4m x 10m beds, filling them with beautiful prairie style planting in the sunnier areas and shade loving Podophyllum ’Spotty Dotty’, a wide selection of ferns, giant Hostas, Epimediums and Geraniums for a splash of colour in the woodland sections of the beds. Height and structure came from Hydrangea’s and Syringa and the walls were covered with early flowering Clematis.

Out the front we chose elegant anthracite grey planters filled with Prunus lustanica to add privacy to the upper balconies and filter away pollution. We chose terracotta pots from Italian Terrace to match the grandeur of the wonderful steps up into the main entrance hall planting them up with lollipop bay trees, Heuchera and Pittosporum.