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In this Merchiston garden, I was presented with a site which had previously been two tennis courts. This meant the area was incredibly flat and rectangular, poorly draining and rather exposed to gusty winds despite the surrounding trees. I set about varying the levels by winding an S shaped serpentine wall within the space. Behind each curve I banked up soil creating a form of ha-ha wall. This dry-stone wall was painstakingly built by Sam Lowndes of Water Gems and was a labour of love taking over six months to complete. The end result is testimony to the fact that a design is only as good as the person who builds it.
Planting within each circle is a careful mix of colourful herbaceous plants and grasses to allow the wall to be viewed even when the plants are in full swing in summer. Two oak benches and two small water features are incorporated into the walls as well as a small bog garden. These additional details allow the garden to be appreciated both when viewed close up as well as from the upper windows of the house. At first glance, the garden appears to be designed purely for adults. However, the younger members of the household run up and down the walls, search for frogs in the bog garden and play hide and seek under the oak benches.
Photographs by Ray Cox.