In Spring 2015 we were called on to help a client with a sloping garden in Marlow, who wanted to transform it into a multi-levelled, stylish outdoor space.
As any local will know, most of Marlow is on a hillside. Hence the gardens are sloped and can be quite a challenging space to plant and maintain. The perfect answer is to create a terraced garden to maximise the space and create a high-end finish.
In this case our choice was to use sleepers, block and brickwork. We were mindful that installing terracing can be very linear, so we were conscious that adding curves and circles would be important to break this up.
With limited access to the site, we had to use only a 3/4 tonne digger to start layering the garden. Stage 2 was to concrete in the supports for the 240 oak sleepers to attach to.
After the terracing had been completed it was time to bring in over 20 tonnes of grade A topsoil. Luckily we have enough fit and strong landscape gardeners to move this in a day or two, even though it all had to be wheelbarrowed by hand down a number of steps and through a narrow side access.
The final stages of the project were to lay quality turf from a local supplier in Windsor and then onto one of my favourite tasks in landscape gardening – planting.
Included in this particular planting scheme were:
- acer
- penstemon
- miscanthus
- deutiza
- roses
- espalier fruit trees
The project was completed on time within the anticipated 4 weeks and our clients was delighted with the end result – a usable and beautiful garden that they could now fully enjoy.
