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This garden was steeply sloped, with ugly sheds, irregular beds and an overgrown field hedge.

My design re-contoured the land to create two separate levels. The heavily planted lower level has grass paths leading to the higher level, where a gently sloping lawn was retained with a drystone wall. This wall ties in with the pretty Cotswold stone cottage that the garden adjoins. I couldn't reduce the height of the hedge as it's in a conservation area, but I could thin it to allow a view to the neighbouring orchard (and cattle).

Planting in pale shades creates a calm relaxed space, while lightening the shadier areas of the garden. Natural light and the shadows created by the woodland around the garden play a key role in creating the atmosphere, while the informal planting on its boundaries blurs the line between the garden and the countryside beyond.