This ½-acre family garden in North London is a rarity in sheer size, quiet seclusion and a modern naturalistic design, conserving nature and growing purely native plants. Photos were taken 1 year after planting.
Project Name: Whetstone Native Landscape Garden
Studio Name: Mylandscapes LTD
When our clients approached us in 2018 to redesign their large landscape garden in Whetstone, their 2,000-sqm outdoor space was neglected, overgrown and occupied by a dilapidated concrete tennis court. We designed a naturalistic landscape garden, using only natural, reclaimed & sustainable materials and native plants, building it over 3 months in the UK’s hottest summer ever recorded. Renovations included a new patio, steps and retaining walls by the house, site grading, a curved natural stone embankment wall, a basketball court, sunken trampoline,circular stone fire pit and a sinuous hardwood deck. Budget was £120,000.
Planting is mainly native, with some naturalised species, where we planted Walnut, Willow, Rowan, Hazelnut, Guelder rose, Silver birch, Dogwood, Field maple, Spindle rushes, ferns, grasses, Anemone, Iris, Geranium, Galium, Foxglove, Lily of the valley, Bellflower, Primula, Pasque flower, Hemp agrimony, Yarrow, Meadowsweet, Purple Loosestrife, Armeria, Sea kale & Bugle.
The curved deck pivots the site, anchored at bottom left at the foot of a mature Ash tree, providing lateral views of the entire site, canopied by a native Willow tree in the corner. Within the inverted curve, we built a low stone fire pit, where the two elements harmonise in shape.
Stone steps lead to the lower meadow, flanked by two native Spindle trees. By the basketball court, a stone bench benefits from the shade of a large Oak tree. Near the tree, we planted native silver birches, dogwoods, rushes and ferns.
Ornamental grasses include Luzula nivea, Briza media, Calamagrostis epigejos, Calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster’, Deschampsia cespitosa, Deschampsia flexuosa & Stipa calamagrostis. We created crevices in the stone wall which retains the deck, incorporating many shade plants such as native ferns, bellflowers and Bugle.
In a site already containing many native species such as Holly, Ivy, Hawthorn, Oak, Hazelnut & Ash, continuing this palette was simply an ecological no-brainer. The new amenities cater for every family member, including 2 youngsters, a teenager, cats & dogs. Trampoline bouncing, basketball shooting, football on the grass and cuddling by the flames of the firepit, there is something here for everyone, and most importantly plenty of fodder, shelter and biodiversity for the local wildlife.
