Wooden chairs around a fire bowl viewed from beneath a garden pergola with steps designed by Heather Martin Garden Design
Stone pot filled with water spills over onto white pebbles below in water feature designed by Heather Martin Garden Design
Timber and brick greenhouse sitting at the centre of a garden with a bubbling water feature in front designed by Heather Martin Garden Design
Limestone pavers form a pathway designed by Heather Martin Garden Design
A galvanised water feature stands at the end of a brick-edged gravel path, flanked by a pair of Portuguese laurel trees in a garden edited by Heather Martin Garden Design
A galvanised metal bench stands on reclaimed yorkstone paving in a flower garden designed by Heather Martin Garden Design

Beautiful & functional gardens to suit your lifestyle

Sustainable Modern Landscaping & New Flower Garden for Listed Property in Village Conservation Area

Design Brief: Following a house move, the clients - who had worked with Heather at their previous property - asked Heather back to help rework their new garden in Cuckfield, Mid Sussex. It had already been laid out with a strong design but wasn’t quite to their taste and needs. Heather provided advice for editing the existing planting and hard landscaping and designed a new flower garden in place of an old sunken trampoline and children’s play equipment.

With sustainability in mind, brick paver pathways in a formal area of the garden were lifted and replaced with permeable gravel, softening the aesthetic while introducing drainage and ensuring that the roots of mature trees could grow unaffected by the hard landscaping. The brick pavers were reused to create a useful new utility area.

Steps between an outdoor kitchen and entertaining area and an evening seating spot were relocated, with new rendered walls and reclaimed yorkstone and brick surfaces to match the existing paving.

At the other end of the garden, the children’s play area was removed and permeable paths installed along with a small limestone paver terrace with bubbling stone water feature created at the centre. A greenhouse was built to allow the client, an enthusiastic gardener, to grow cuttings for the garden and salad crops and to overwinter any tender plants. Care was taken to match the greenhouse colour and materials with the house and being in a conservation area, the project was subject planning approval as part of the design works.

The garden was built by Fresh Air Landscapes to Heather’s designs, planted by Vacher Gardens - again to Heather’s designs and is maintained by The Talented Gardener. Thanks to Alex Rickard Photography for taking these images.

If you would like to find out more about how we can help with your own garden project, complete our form and we will be in touch.