Froxfield, Hampshire

An Updated Garden for Green-Fingered Clients

This Grade II-listed thatched cottage found down a wooded lane is set within a magical quiet part of Hampshire and my clients were keen to retain the feeling that the garden was as old as the house. Surrounding the house generous borders were replanted with cottage-garden favourites and old-fashioned roses. The brick and flint walls were repaired and another bed of mainly white blossom was created on the drive. The existing pleached trees were underplanted with bulbs and perennials with an arch leading to curving mown grass paths which meander through a new wildflower meadow to two separate, secret outdoor spaces hidden behind mature hawthorn hedges:

A large kitchen garden featuring raised beds for vegetables, dahlias and annual flowers, a spacious fruit cage filled with soft fruit and a generous herringbone brick terrace for sitting, dining and relaxing amongst the blossom and blooms. A brick and flint water feature in the centre of the space provides water for plants, birds and insects. The water jet is positioned just below the surface of the water to create a soft ripple without any splashing noise.

A separate Cutting Garden was created with rows of perennials and bulbs planted around a reclaimed flint and brick water feature.

Both spaces are hidden behind mature hawthorn hedges planted for blossom in the spring and berries in the autumn. Custom timber gates prevent rabbits and other animals from getting in.

Mown paths lead through the wildflower meadow to the Kitchen Garden.
A Dipping Pool constructed of reclaimed flint and brink provides a focal point in the Kitchen Garden.
Breedon gravel paths edged in reclaimed brick define the spaces of the Cutting Garden. A flint and brick water feature centres this symetrical space with four planting beds of perennials and bulbs.
At the front of the house, a generous bed of perennials and bulbs creates a warm welcome.
Reclaimed brick paths tie in with the brick and flint house.
Reclaimed bricks on edge create a striking base for this water feature in the Cutting Garden.
An oak and steel pergola provides support for a mature climbing rose and dappled shade for dining.
A large planting bed on the front drive in a restricted palette of green, white and cream creates a foil for the architecture of the house.
The winding path from the Cutting Garden leads back to the Grade II listed Barn.
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Shamley Green