Projects
A Contemporary Hillside Garden
The scenic valley of Glaisdale in North Yorkshire is the setting for this recent design which was commissioned to marry a contemporary dwelling to the beautiful countryside beyond. With stunning views to the forest hillside and directly down to the riverside below, the design offers a practical and stylish means of journeying from the steepest part of the garden down to the jetty upon the water’s edge.
Close to the house a discreet terraced vegetable plot makes great use of an otherwise useless steep bank. Below this a wide grass path meanders down the garden and through the ample planting beds which contain large drifts of Cytisus purpureus (Purple Broom) and dome – pruned Viburnum tinus. Travelling beneath a simple geometric set of six hardwood arches to the right of the path rises a mass of Buddleja globosa (Orange ball tree) and Hydrangea quercifolia ( Oak – leaved Hydrangea) Underplanting in this area includes a lush green carpet of Pachysandra terminalis and Astrantia major. Alongside the last arch is a bench seat giving the viewer a Wisteria – framed view of the hillside up above and the riverside and garden below.
As the lower inclines are reached the planting takes on a more contemporary tropical feel with group plantings of hardy exotics such as Phormium tenax (New Zealand flax), Fatsia japonica, and Phyllostachys nigra. Here another simple bench enclosed by a bamboo grove provides a view across the planting beds to the left and down to the willow arbour and viewing platform to the right.
When the lowest part of the garden is reached wooden steps lead to the water’s edge where a viewing platform is enclosed in a living Willow arbour. Erosion of the garden riverbank is a pressing problem that has been addressed in the plan by the planting of a bank of Salix alba var. vitelina coupled with Salix alba var. vitelina ‘Britzensis’ Willows that are often found growing at the water’s edge and whose roots will stabilise the surrounding soil to prevent further erosion. In the winter the vibrant red and orange stems of these trees will illuminate an otherwise dreary corner.
Plant List
Trees
- Pinus sylvestris
- Sorbus aucuparia
- Salix alba var. vitelina
- Salix alba var. vitelina ‘Britzensis’
Shrubs
- Taxus baccata
- Prunus laurocerasus
- Buxus sempervirens ‘Suffruticosa’
- Cornus alba ‘Kesselringii’
- Cornus alba ‘Spaethii’
- Cytisus purpureus
- Viburnum tinus
- Buddleja globosa
- Fatsia japonica
- Hydrangea quercifolia
- Viburnum rhytidophyllum
- Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Prostratus’
- Thymus vugares
- Marjoram organum vulgare
- Wisteria sinensis
- Phormium tenax
- Phyllostachys nigra
- Hedera colchica ‘Dentata’
Herbaceous perennials
- Comfrey symphytum officinale ‘Bocking’ (For home composting)
- Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’
- Verbena bonariensis
- Persicaria affinis
- Foeniculum vulgare ‘Purpureum’
- Euphorbia griffithii ‘Fireglow’
- Cirsium rivalare
- Geranium sanguineum
- Geranium macrorrhizum
- Phlomis tuberosa
- Crambe cordifolia
- Actaea simplex syn. Cimicifuga simplex
- Sedum telephium subsp. maximum ‘Atropurpureum’
- Crocosmia masoniorum
- Liriope muscari
- Vinca minor
- Euphorbia amygdaloides Robbiae
- Bergenia ‘Sunningdale’
- Fragaria ‘Pink Panda’
- Polystichum setiferum Divisilobum group
- Leycesteria formosa
- Symphytum grandifolium
- Tellima grandiflora
- Pulmonaria officinalis ‘Sissinghurst White’
- Alchemilla mollis
Grasses
- Miscanthus sinensis
- Stipa gigantea
Soft Fruit
- Raspberry ‘Autumn Bliss’
- Blackberry ‘Oregon Thornless’
Climbers
- Wisteria sinensis (over geometric archway)
- Lonicera sempervirens