This small front garden now packs a punch, thanks to an effortlessly chic planting scheme and private spaces to take a breather
“It’s a small front garden, but it’s got big aspirations,” says Lynn Hill of this East Lothian coastal cottage garden. “It’s only about six metres by ten metres, but there was a lot we needed to pack in.”
The footprint might be limited, but the garden presented several different challenges. As well as the salt-laden air and sandy soil you’d expect, some sections are baked in sun and exposed to howling winds, while other areas are shaded under a mature tree – “almost a Mediterranean feel at one end and a woodland feel at the other” is how Lynn puts it. “We had to be really clever with our planting to cope with this. We used geraniums in the shady area and lavender where it gets the sun. There’s Erigeron as well, which is a hardworking plant that flowers from early summer until the first frosts and can handle both sandy soil and the wind.”
The lavender lines an informal gravel path that winds through the space (“it’s really nice to get a burst of scent as you move along it”). Reclaimed Yorkstone paving was used closest to the front door. “Obviously, the main thing about any front garden is the journey to the door, so our priority was ergonomics: providing easy access for daily life, as well as for maintenance and weeding. It’s quite a narrow path and we wanted it to feel bigger, so we used Scottish pebbles at the edges of the borders to allow for some widening. You can step onto the pebbles, and they give you a bit of extra elbow room.”
The owners love roses, and Lynn wanted to add a bit of romance to the space, so a shrub rose (Rosa ‘Kew Gardens’) was planted, bringing in a cottage feel with its bright white flowers. “I included a wildcard too, Kniphofia ‘Tawny King’, which adds a pop of colour and works beautifully with the yellow of Hemerocallis ‘Golden Chimes’. We wanted a bit of wow with the colour.”
It might seem unusual to have a bench in the front garden, but Lynn was determined to do all she could to entice the owners out into the space. “I’m a biophilic designer,” she says, “and to me, a moment in nature is a tonic for both body and mind. Biophilic design embraces our innate connection to nature, and the benefits it bestows upon our physical and mental wellbeing. There’s scientifically proven evidence that time spent in a garden can reduce stress, lower blood pressure, improve immune function, enhance memory and boost creativity. You can even get some of these effects just from looking out on nature. So it was important for me to include a place for the owners to sit and enjoy their garden. The bench works really well – the clients say that sitting there feels like the planting is giving you a big hug.”
Urbis Design’s Lily Bowls provide additional hits of sensory interest, and the owners’ much-loved Green Man statue looks on approvingly. Before, he was surrounded simply by grass; now, he’s part of a colourful, peaceful, cleverly engineered space. Lynn prioritised plants for pollinating insects and included plenty of seasonal planting; tulips, hyacinths and alliums, for example, pop up in the spring. “We actually went for a walk around the local area before I began the design, and I asked the clients to point out plants they liked. I also paid close attention to how their home was decorated. The garden is like a living tapestry: it changes throughout the year but is always on display. It needed to provide a view they wouldn’t get tired of looking at.”
