Client brief:
- The clients are a professional couple in their early twenties who have no children. They commute into the City each day.
- Their house is an Edwardian brick-built terraced house in North London. They enjoy eating, relaxing and entertaining in the garden which is South facing. The Interior of the house is a mix of traditional and contemporary.
- They have good holiday entitlements with their work. They enjoy mountaineering and rock climbing in the Swiss Alps and Scotland and travelling to South America and the Far East; their holidays also allow them to indulge their passion for wildlife and scenic photography.
- Requirements:
- An easily maintained garden, both from a material and planting point as they do not have much free time
- A garden that reflects their styles and tastes
- Space to entertain friends, including a large area for a table and six chairs
- An evening area
- A natural looking garden not manufactured. A garden that has a feel of freedom and a sense of wildness
- Designed on a diagonal grid
- A lawn area is optional
- An area to sit and read, that is in or, part under shade
- Eco friendly and sustainable
Mood board:
Garden Design Layout Plan:
Notes of Garden Design:
The inspiration for this garden design is the pineapple. This is for two reasons:
- Edwardian one-upmanship. The history of the pineapple:
- For 250 years, the pineapple was a symbol of wealth and status. A single fruit was worth thousands of pounds when it was first brought to Europe by Christopher Columbus.
- At social events, a stand would display a pineapple (that you could not eat) in the centre of a platter of cheaper fruits. Often the same pineapple was paraded from event to event until eventually it went rotten. The pineapple was expensive enough to warrant security guards!
- People would carry pineapples under their arms as a sign of status.
- Because the middle class couldn’t afford them originally - businessmen opened up pineapple rental shops across Britain and a market began for pineapple themed goods.
- Pineapples were incorporated into art and design, decor and architecture to display wealth and you can still see a lot of this in London today.
- For example, Christopher Wren picked golden pineapples to be the crowning feature of each of the towers of St Paul's cathedral. They can be seen on railings, spires of prestigious buildings, on gate posts and tiles…
- In Edwardian times, the pineapple was still associated with wealth and status and the best gardeners became prized for growing exotic fruits.
- Travel
- The pineapple also symbolises travel and exploration which reflects the client's interests. In particular, their love of travelling to South America (the pineapple originates from South America).
How the pineapple has influenced the garden design
- The core garden shape:
- The criss cross of the pineapple's outer skin resembles the 45 degree angle that the garden has been designed on.
- The ‘jungle’ at the back of the garden also represents the crown of the pineapple with the rest of the garden being the main fruit.
- The planting reflects the clients love of travelling to South America and the far east with exotic plant choices that originate from these areas such as palm trees and bamboo. This gives a feel of freedom and exploration. The mixed planting also reflects the shapes of a pineapple i.e spiky planting with contrasting softer oval/ball shaped plants.
- The shapes within the hard landscaping subtly resemble a pineapple - i.e. circular shapes of the patio and wildlife pond resemble pineapple slices and the benches a segment of the pineapple slice. The effect of using this in the entertaining spaces is that is ties in the Edwardian period, where pineapples were put on display at social events - in a more subtle way. There are also two large oval mirrors that reflect the imagery of the planting back into the garden, enhancing the sense of freedom as it blurs the boundaries of the garden.