Rejuvenating an overgrown garden near Taunton

There’s something innately charming about a well established garden, but there’s a fine line between mature and overgrown. This garden near Taunton had crossed the line and was desperately in need of rejuvenation.

Here’s how the SilverBirch Gardens used their landscaping and design skills to refresh and restore the space.

• Created a new brick pathway to complement the aesthetic of the property and make access easier
• Built a new, more attractive area for the greenhouse
• Constructed a new, large patio area for al-fresco cooking and eating
• Crafted a curving pathway to the new patio using limestone setts
• Made new paths and steps for easy access to all areas of the garden

What Needed Changing In This Farmhouse Garden?

The unloved garden was not only detracting from the kerb appeal of our clients’ beautiful farmhouse property, it was downright dangerous in places. Pathways were sloping, uneven and riddled with trip hazards. The patio was overgrown and not large enough to accommodate the family’s need for outdoor living space. And the greenhouse area was simply not fit for purpose.

Rejuvenating this garden was not just about improving the aesthetic, it was about safety and it was about usability.

These red brick pavers from London Stone are a near-perfect match for the walls of this historic farm house near Taunton

Choosing Materials For Rejuvenating An Established Garden

Garden design and landscaping are all about striking a balance between usability, budget and the aesthetic. This particular property is an old farmhouse with a wonderfully historic look and feel and from a design perspective, to use modern landscaping materials would have been a travesty. 

Additionally, to redesign and make over the entire garden would have been way beyond the scope of our clients’ (already generous) budget.

The compromise was to focus on the parts of the garden most in need of repair and rejuvenation, and to use traditional materials that payed homage to the age and importance of the property.

Together with our clients, we opted for red-brick coloured clay pavers for the path nearest the house. And natural limestone pavers and setts for the patio, paths and greenhouse area. We even sourced reclaimed limestone for the detailing….it’s always good to use landscaping materials that have a previous life. Not just from a sustainability point of view, but because they often have an compelling back story which ultimately adds interest to the garden.

We could have created a very harsh, angular join between these two paths, but opted instead for softly curving lines more in keeping with the shapes throughout the garden

The Importance Of Retaining Original Garden Features

This garden may have been tired when we arrived, but there can be no denying that some of the features were well worth keeping. That wonderful retaining wall around the patio for example. Built in the same stone as the property and with beautiful limestone pillar caps and balls. It is structurally sound and so there was simply no need to change it. In fact it would have felt like defacing the garden to alter that wall in any way. The new limestone patio, will gradually, weather down to match the pillar caps which will only add to the timeless appeal of the entire space.

Natural limestone was the obvious choice for this patio – it looks lovely against those weathered retaining walls and the established lawn beyond

Creating Paths With Rectangular Shaped Landscaping Materials

SilverBirch Gardens are known for imaginative garden designs. We like to push the boundaries and use landscaping materials in creative ways whilst still following best practice guidelines for installation.

Take for example, the brick paver path that transverses the lawn in this Taunton garden. The easy solution would have been to make it dead straight – but where’s the character in that? No, we’ve created a snaking journey between to door and the gate which is designed to slow visitors down and give them time to enjoy the architecture and the planting. 

The meandering curves continue throughout the garden and in almost every case we’ve created them using rectangular shaped pavers and setts. Why? For continuity, cohesion and character. 

Anyone who has ever played with Lego will know that curves are not easy to make from rectangles. But, with careful consideration and skilled landscapers, it IS possible and we’re proud of the results we achieved.

What Our Clients Think

We’re grateful to our clients for agreeing to think outside the box with some aspects of the design for their garden rejuvenation, and it seems they are also pleased with their decision to trust SilverBirch Gardens with this important project. They’re happy, we’re happy and hopefully you’ll enjoy perusing these before and after pictures too.

 

If you enjoyed these pictures, you may like to take a look at some of our other work.