Lavender Grove

This project began as a blank canvas. After an extensive renovation on the house, the garden was compacted and full of rubble. After improvement to the soil structure and texture, a design that both mirrored and contrasted the house was agreed upon.

The main section of the garden features clean lines and defined lawns and borders, spilling over with frothy plants and grasses that provide year round interest. Design inspiration came from the partnership between Gertude Jekyll’s cottage garden style and Edwin Lutyen's orderly lines. I wanted this garden to be a modern version of this interplay. Repeated Cornus Kousa creates background structure for striking grasses and drifts of colour coming from Ammi Major, and Veronicastrum in shades of white and peach. Pops of colour come in the form of Ranunculus Picotee Orange, Iris Mission Bay and Camassia Leichtinii. Towards the back of the garden, the lines become looser with several multistem trees to create dappled shade. Generous climbers and ground cover planting create a naturalistic woodland planting scheme featuring delicate bulbs such as Erythronium and Anemone Nemerosa that will naturalise over time.

The house and garden was featured in both The Guardian and The Modern House.