Sloping Back Garden In Bedfordshire

The client wanted their East facing back garden to be a usable space for al-fresco dining and entertaining. However a steep slope starting just two metres from their home, made the upper part of their garden difficult to access whilst being too small to accommodate furniture.

David's brief was to address the slope, create enough space adjacent to the house for entertaining, and seamlessly connect the lower garden to the upper garden.

Sloping gardens bring with them a whole raft of challenges. In this case, David needed to avoid changing the topography of the boundaries whilst making some major changes to the main body of the garden.

David's approach to this garden was to embrace and celebrate the slope by moulding it into a series of retaining walls and terraces.

A major ground working exercise created three distinct levels between the ground level and the upper lawn.

A paddlestone retaining wall forms the main rib for the scheme, incorporating two sets of steps. These are offset and generously sized to create a meandering pathway through the level changes.

Paddlestone risers provide contrast and continuity with the natural sandstone steps, coping stones and paving, And the use of steel retainers were used to compliment and contrast with the paddlestones to avoid creating a repetitive tiering of the same material.

The new ground level which now cuts into the plot with these retainers was infilled with pea gravel with a staggered set of meandering sandstone planks connecting the house to the first set of steps.

Large planting beds at all levels were created, so once planted, will help soften the retaining walls further and provide connectivity.

Of all the features, materials, challenges and solutions that make up this project, David tells us that his greatest triumph is the enthusiasm the client now exudes when talking about their garden and how the project has transformed their outdoor living experience. After all - isn't that what all of us want for our clients?