I was asked to design a garden for a young gentleman confined to a wheelchair in a Dorset village. The brief centred on accessibility so the process started with a thorough assessment of levels. The garden design sought to create an interesting garden with plentiful level 'pause' points from which the garden could be admired in stages and various locations for seating guests and socialising.
Comfortably wide compacted gravel paths wrap around a central lawn. Douglas fir arches emphasise the journey around the space and provide concealed downlighting for evening garden enjoyment. Further lighting picks out the white trunks of the silver birch trees behind a circular stone seating area with circular firepit in rusted steel. Further rusted steel is evident in a reflective water bowl on the corner deck and in water troughs along the far side. The rich amber tones of the water features are harmonised in the zestful planting palette which includes orange and red Heleniums, burnt orange Kniphofia, and the mixed pinks and pale orange blossoms of the china rose Rosa x odorata Mutabilis. Project due to complete August 2019.