Kings Langley

Kings Langley, Hertfordshire: I wanted to use this project for a case study to show that simple changes can make big differences. The client brief was simple; make the garden more family friendly, tidy and within a set budget.

The garden itself wasn’t in a particularly bad state but the home owners had just had a large extension and raised decked area at the back of the house. The garden was being used as a building site, damaging the lawn and not giving them a chance to maintain any of the beds or borders.

The garden was a typical 1940’s size and shape – Southeast facing, 15 foot wide and 70 foot long, with a path running down the right centre, borders down each side housing various shrubs and a large Rowan tree half way down. The bottom of the garden had an old shed on one side and unused space on the other holding larger garden tools, pots and furniture.

After discussing various ideas we decided less was more so I kept it simple. I removed the areas of damaged lawn, mainly around the new decked area and after preparing the soil I laid new turf. We removed the path and again prepared the soil and laid turf. Other areas of the lawn required treating, seeds and feed to encourage healthy new growth.

I gave the borders a tidy, removing old or dead shrubs and turning the soil. The client enjoyed gardening so I recommended some new perennials she could buy and plant herself in time.

At the bottom of the garden we decided to lose the old rundown shed and replace with a new larger one to hold all the additional tools, pots and furniture being kept outside. Once this was in, we dug over the cleared area, removing large concrete blocks and rubble to make way for the children’s play area that I was constructing. We dug the play area lower than the lawn level, ready for filling, and then sunk sleepers to make a frame, keeping level with the lawn for aesthetic purposes. Once the sleeper frame was secured in I flattened the earth and laid landscaping fabric – this was then filled in with (blue) rubber chips. To finish off I planted spotted laurel and box hedge around the edges, once grown out these will be shaped to square.

To summarise: This case study highlights various different services we provide.

• Consultation (Style, design, budget)
• Design and planning
• Soft landscaping
• Hard landscaping
• On-going Maintenance
• Help and advice  (regarding future plant schedules and simple maintenance)