Author: Round & About

Transforming Our Beaconsfield Garden: From Stone Challenges to a Lush Sanctuary

Transforming Our Beaconsfield Garden: From Stone to Serenity

When we moved to Beaconsfield in 2003, our new garden was nothing but paving and grass. The biggest challenge was the lack of soil caused by the overwhelming presence of Chiltern stone. During the initial landscaping, we removed over two skip-loads of stone—and every year since, we keep discovering more.

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Creating a Vision for Our Beaconsfield Garden Design

Surrounding the house were planting beds, but the largest was a south-facing 450 square metre area at the back. This spot became very hot during summer. My husband John and I wanted to transform the garden from mostly grass and paving to a lush space filled with plants and a small lawn. We had a clear idea of the plants we wanted but felt uncertain about handling the garden’s uneven heights and overpowering laurel hedges.

A friend recommended Barbara Hunt, an expert with over 30 years of experience in garden design and several RHS gold medals. Barbara’s design incorporated gentle curves that lead the eye smoothly from one point to the next.

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Key Features of Our Garden Design

The result features rounded paths edged with brick, fragrant lavender beds, and neatly clipped box hedges. Vertical interest comes from strategically placed trees. A grey-stained trellis with upright posts forms a charming framework for climbing roses, honeysuckle, and clematis. Gravel areas allow some plants to self-seed naturally. The main gravel bed highlights a striking fountain by Barry Mason.

The garden’s structure revolves around lavender, box hedges and balls, and rosemary, emphasizing the curved design. Purples and reds work together beautifully, set against a backdrop of lush green that lets the colours pop.

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Seasonal Highlights and Atmosphere

Late winter to May brings a burst of colour with tulips and daffodils. Buxus balls placed at the ends of borders act as natural full stops. The garden’s design aimed to create a relaxing space for long, lazy lunches and tending plants. In reality, pottering around takes up much of the time!

The garden offers strong contrasts: sharp and smooth, straight and round, light and dark, hard and soft. The large gravel areas help showcase plants in full, preventing them from getting lost in dense foliage. Penstemon ‘Garnet’ bursts out like fireballs amid cool blues and purples, adding excitement to the borders. The laurel hedge forms a dark backdrop that frames the plants perfectly.

The sweeping curves of the box hedges, paired with the gentle sound of water from the fountain, create a peaceful atmosphere reminiscent of a flowing stream.

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Enhancements and Sharing Our Garden

Recently, we added a plant theatre with at least 45 pots and a summer house to the side garden. These features encourage visitors to linger and enjoy the space. We open the garden by appointment for the National Garden Scheme from March to September and for one Sunday in late spring.

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