Dry/Gravel Garden

Dry/Gravel Garden

Brief: A tatty, high maintenance patch of grass to the front of a late 1960’s house in West Kent. The client emphasized she wanted a low maintenance design solution that could cope with today’s unpredictable weather. It also needed to retain an open feel to the front of her house, with no permanent boundaries.

Solution: The turf was removed and recycled, then replaced by gravel. An array of carefully selected climate tolerant perennials, grasses, shrubs and bulbs were planted directly into the shingle including alliums and the striking eremurus aka the foxtail lily. The centrepiece was a multi-stem Amelanchier lamarckii, a great little tree for wildlife and one that provides a long season of interest. As the tree matures, its open shape will help keep that all important spacious feel to the garden.

The garden was designed with sustainability in mind - built without a plastic membrane under the gravel and little or no watering or weeding requirements.