Small Courtyard Garden inspired by Southern France

The garden I was asked to help with in this instance was already looking elegant and clearly loved by its owners, they wanted me to help with the immediate garden outside what would be a new family room extension and living space. Currently laid to lawn and flat, the space was crying out for a 'design input' to interpret the clients brief for an entertaining space that was influenced by the gardens and landscapes of Southern France. The brief also included provision of outdoor cooking space and a water feature.

The new extension was to be finished with a modest sized patio due to the north facing aspect, which resulted in the building casting shade over the space for the majority of the day. This patio would lead down via brick steps into the new garden area through immersive plantings of Lavender and Rosemary, mature specimen Olive trees and elegant Hydrangeas. A stunning raised Rill water feature was to emphasize the central axis and provide a cooling element to this sunny part of the garden, fed from architectural salvaged decorative spouts mounted onto the proposed retaining wall.