I was helped enormously by mother nature here. The movement of the sun across the sky on a late November afternoon and the moon doing her job by organising the tide to be way out.
Massive expanse of beach  in all directions gives a timeless quality to this dramatic installation.
Ihe individual fugures felt as though they had been here for centuries looking out to the Irish see...waiting waiting.
As a big fan of modern art set in the landscape I feel this has to be one of the best.

One of our recently finished schemes was for one of the cottages within the Tabley House estate near Knutsford.
The brief here was for a " low maintenance, contemporary, outdoor space for eating, relaxing and entertaining".

The beautiful yellow balau hardwood timber decking (from a sustainable source) creates a welcoming effect in this small courtyard-type area.

The stunning stainless steel waterfeature acts as a perfect focal point and has been offset using the 2m high rendered wall as a backdrop.

Planting is minimal  with the cordyline australis creating a dramatic, fairly tropical feel. (After the last two winters, the clients have been left with strict intructions to cover  them over when cold temperatures are forecast.)

Putting the finishing touches on the garden. The Indian paving contrast well with the raised sleeper beds. The gravel beds within the paved areas are great for grasses and herbs and the client has introduced his own chimera for keeping warm on chilly evenings!






The planting includes three varigated phormium as well as three small trees (to help create privacy): acer 'Bloodgood', cotoneaster cornubia and a small rowan. These tree provide beautiful autumn colour as well as berries for the birds.

In this small inner-city Manchester garden the yard is taking shape.
Here we can see the natural stone paving (Indian Stone) is going down.
Several large planting pockets are being left within the paved areas, mainly for herbs and small grasses. The original mature bamboo is being left to create some privacy for the small dinging area behind. 
All in all we should be finished next week.... we start installing the lighting and plants on Monday/Tuesday.

This has to be one of the smallest gardens we have built for a while.........in sunny inner-city Manchester
The garden ('backyard' rather) measures a mere 4m x 6m with access via a small cobbled service road at the back of the row of terraced house
Our client wants to create a semi private, relaxing oasis in the midst of a bustling city..a place to unwind and entertain.
First task is to move the bike shed and this means making a new concrete base. The shed has to be moved because our client has identified the spot it currently occupies as catching late afternoon/ early evening sun.
Second task is to build some timber sleeper retaining walls to help define the plant areas. This will allow the soil level to be built up....allowing new root systems to be well drained.
The next job is to re-build the leaning (and slightly dangerous) brick wall with the new gate aperture moved across to allow for a new, hardwood 'L-shaped' bench to be built for eating out.
We are hoping to finish this smallish scheme within the next two weeks (weather permitting!) Keep checking in for progress.=


 
It is often the way that homeowners tend to build the most basic of decks 
with little or no thought to design. The truth is, that a well designed deck 
need cost no more to realise than a basic square or rectangular shape.

The deck illustrated here has a circular theme. It is true that some time needs 
to be devoted to calculating the tapered deck boards, and the neat stone circle 
included to 'start off' the ccircular design, but the deck has so much more style 
and 'wow' factor than would otherwise be the case.

This deck has been constructed from treated softwood.(available from B&
Q etc) with the grooved pattern on the underside. The treated softwood joists 
extend out concentrically form the centre at 50cm intervals and are constructed 
as octagonal shapes to support the timber deckboards.

The clever addition here (by the clients) of a circular table adds to the sense 
of style.


 

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