Dog-friendly, cottage garden
Before
The garden was long and mostly laid to lawn, with some existing fruit trees. Access to the rear was needed for bike access and the dog, and children needed some lawn to play in.
Brief
This family wanted a more interesting garden that the whole family (and dog) could enjoy. The style choice was cottage garden.
After
A raised bed was introduced just beyond the patio, with seating all around it, under the new pergola and also in the new pizza oven area. Crucially the raised bed keeps the dog from destroying the plants!
It’s important to think about where you might sit at different times of day. For instance, a particular spot was enjoyed for a cup of tea in the morning. So the design turned a lonely patio chair into an attractive destination with a bench and colourful planting around it. A shady summertime picnic bench was added to the lawn.
The new path uses different materials and textures for interest. It weaves in and out of the different spaces which widen and narrow according to function. One of the spaces is a herb garden and pizza oven area, perfect for family dining. Additional fruit trees were added to the south facing fence. A pergola was included to provide extra privacy and interest.
Fruit trees provide lots of interest for pollinators and shelter for birds, as well as delicious fruit for humans! Herbs are lovely to sit next to, touch and smell, great for the BBQ or pizza and the flowers of rosemary and sage are particularly good for bees. They are very low maintenance and evergreen too. Native perennials chosen (such as foxgloves) provide colour for us and food for bees and butterflies.
