Rural Patio Garden

Demonstrating that sometimes the most satisfying designs come from working with your restrictions, this existing patio was wedged between a public footpath and the house, so felt exposed yet penned in with a low picket fence. Being south facing, it could be extremely hot to sit out in the summer, but was the only patio area for the household to entertain outdoors. The existing pergola off the house did little to provide shade, despite being draped in roses. It can also be a windy site, so we didn't want to rely on parasols either.

The solution - move the pergolas away from the house, and replace the fence and part of the patio with planting. Multistemmed trees, tall perennials and grasses wrap around the dining and sofa areas, to create a feeling of being secluded but not cut off from the surroundings. The pergolas were designed with angled roof struts to cast maximum shade in the height of summer, but not to block the light to the house in the winter. The clients now love sitting out in the dappled sunlight, surrounded by planting that moves and changes with the seasons.