Towering Scots Pines, unruly levels & incredible views make for high drama and plenty of atmosphere


The garden three months after completion
This garden was a challenge in all the best ways - steep unruly levels, towering Scots Pines that give incredible scale and drama, and a sandy shallow soil that runs down to the coast. The garden we began with was a hotch-potch of materials and rotten decking, with an incongruous collection of plants. We needed to bring coherence to the space, make it work for living outdoors, but without infringing on its inherent character and charm.
First we had to carve out usable spaces - we created a series of decks with more generous proportions that hugged the hillside rather that protruded and created comfortable spaces for seating and a hot tub. Others are tucked into the garden creating destinations to discover.
First we had to carve out usable spaces - we created a series of decks with more generous proportions that hugged the hillside rather that protruded and created comfortable spaces for seating and a hot tub. Others are tucked into the garden creating destinations to discover.

Custom poured slabs of etched concrete float across the garden, creating stepping stones through the woodland.


The paving tiptoes through the garden, creating pathways down the hillside and leading to hidden covered decks and at the far end a boules court with views across the valley, a sunny spot to while away an afternoon. Boulders shore up the slopes and provide stepping stones for the more adventurous.
With our trees already there, we created an understory of shade loving plants, taking inspiration from New Zealand and Australia. Tree ferns, grasses and phormiums provide structure and texture, lovely Leptospermum (the tea-tree plant) creates a shrubby layer and hit of bruised pink.
On the terrace, basking in sunshine, the planting leans towards a desert climes - Agaves and Knipofia sit alongside glacus blue Festucas.
This garden was completed in April 2025 and will be photographed professionally in Summer 2026.
With our trees already there, we created an understory of shade loving plants, taking inspiration from New Zealand and Australia. Tree ferns, grasses and phormiums provide structure and texture, lovely Leptospermum (the tea-tree plant) creates a shrubby layer and hit of bruised pink.
On the terrace, basking in sunshine, the planting leans towards a desert climes - Agaves and Knipofia sit alongside glacus blue Festucas.
This garden was completed in April 2025 and will be photographed professionally in Summer 2026.
Process images and stages ︎︎︎





