Ayrshire: Terraced Family Garden Design in Stewarton

Welcome to another project article in our Garden Design Portfolio Series. This garden has been designed by Nicky Patterson and will be built by the team of garden designers and landscapers at GardenImprovements.com.

This project comes from Stewarton near Kilmarnock in Ayrshire, Scotland. This design was commissioned by Stan and Fiona W who had recently purchased this new build house with a steep banked, boggy garden and they wished for a space that was safe, child friendly and could host some big parties!by Nicky Patterson

Stan and Fiona’s design brief:

To install drainage.
To provide a patio area for entertaining guests.
To provide some storage space for tools and equipment.
To provide some terracing to the severe slope to procure some access to, and more function from the space.
To provide some area if possible for children’s play and include space for a trampoline.
The garden is a little larger than average in it’s entirety but is very awkwardly shaped and has some severe slopes – at the highest points it directly looks onto the river and into the town of Stewarton.

At the survey visit Stan had initially indicated that his thoughts were along the lines of semi-circular steps leading from the rear of the house. As you can see I have taken his idea well and truly on board! The plan incorporates several paved seting areas, a lawn and access to the very steep slopes.

The circular theme allows us to incorporate the large trampoline which was required to be in the garden at some point. The material pallet will be mainly light as in sandstones and granites with only some dark defining lines to offer contrast. The site is enveloped by mature trees and reflecting some light into the space is crucial.

The garden is essentially split into two areas; lower and upper gardens. The lower garden is a functional space within itself and this is where the trampoline will be positioned along with the lawn, a patio and plenty of area for planting up.

The planting scheme is to be relatively low key in this area; the beds will all be lined and layered with some gravels. There will be just enough planting to soften the edges and offer interest, colour and a crucial connection to the surrounding environment.

We had to make use of the severe slope in the garden which constitutes more than 50% of the property space. By terracing it we can create a usable seating area enveloped with planting and with views over the river and into the town.

Using the circle as a constant we can create a cohesive space with a fun element; it allows each element to interact in interesting ways with another, and where we see the plants come to the borders, they seem to cut in to the different areas which will sooth the lines of hard landscaping and frame the patios and paths beautifully.

The side of the house was unusable previously but gets the lion-share of sunshine – a good idea would be to have it levelled and terraced and we can install a sunshine patio area for entertaining guests. in the afternoons and evenings The terraced walling doubles as additional informal party seating!