I have just added a series of pages about the latest area of my garden to be completed. I’ve called it ‘The Lawn Garden’ because… well you can see why. It’s an ornamental garden, based on clipped evergreens, lots of lovely foliage textures and classy white flowers. I’m really proud of the design which managed to connect many disparate parts of the garden to our new extension and still look great. Hope you find some inspiration here.
The Lawn Garden
Hi,
I have enjoyed your blog since planting a fan trained plum tree about 5 years ago in our old house and finding your posts on training fruit. I went on to do some garden design training & discovered a love of plants & planting design. Bookmarked, I routinely enjoy checking back for design & planting updates – it’s one of a small no. of good resources & a lovely, well designed garden.
Anyway – I have a specific question about your lawn garden. I’m guessing materials & final finish are as important to you as they are to me – I want to make sure we achieve the aesthetic we want, not what our builder thinks works! Can you tell me the make/manufacturer of your kitchen/dining rooms doors….and your fascia boards/gutter. Love the colour match and want the same!
thanks so much!
Hi Andrew. Wow, I’m touched! I’d never have guessed I’d inspired anyone to find a passion for garden design. Thank you for sharing.
You are right to make sure you get what you want and not let your builder give you what they want. I’ve been there! You have to write everything down as clearly as you can in advance and watch them everyday, then not be afraid to question them and bring up issues as soon as possible. Write down any changes and everything that comes up in discussions so there is no doubt about anything later. Insist on what you want and only pay extra if you are the one that changed the spec (we all make mistakes and issues and decisions come up repeatedly on even the most simple project so you have to know when you are at fault). Good luck.
Our doors and lantern were made by a small company called Medina Joinery, Hayling Island. They use Accoya which is a fantastic wood, and in our case has not shrunk, expanded or moved since it was installed. Their prices are very competitive, but tend to drift upwards between discussions, so get everything in writing! The factory applied paint colour is anthracite (RAL 7016). The business owner James Light can be a bit tricky to deal with, and there were more than a few problems with the delivered products (incorrect colour glazing spacers, glazing seals and draft strips, incorrectly pinned glazing which only came to light months later), however I stood my ground and kept pushing until I got everything sorted out. So in the end it all came good and James eventually put everything right, but you do need to be firm, and you need to specify everything in as much detail as possible. The good thing is that James worked to my spec (the doors with the lower solid panels are unusual, but we like them) and produced CAD drawings for me showing exactly what they would look like in advance.
The fascia is also anthracite which is pretty standard these days. You can Google it.
The guttering and down pipe are aluminium, Victorian Ogee profile (MOG2) factory painted RAL 7016 Matt, from Guttercrest. (https://www.guttercrest.co.uk/category-products/17/MOG2)