West Dunbartonshire: The Day Bed Garden Design near Alexandria
Using muted tones with purposeful contrast to form the colour pallet for the hard landscaping will allow the planting to take a bigger share of the attention. Introducing 1 or 2 small Himalayan Birch will bring stature and vertical detail to an enclosed garden area, linking the garden with the tree-line of the close horizons. Horizontal fencing will create an impression of space whilst offering an ideal structure onto which planters can be hooked to create small vertical gardens. The planting theme will be billows of green washed with whites, blues and violets, the walls will be coloured in two tones of blue.
Designer: Nicky Patterson, GardenImprovements.com
A four-poster day-bed forms the centre-piece of the garden and the elementary shapes are pivoted around it’s position in combination with tilt which address the angles fence to the top LHS of the space. There are a number of entrances to the garden; the main ones would be from the side path (bottom LHS) and the French doors at the living room (bottom RHS): the composition is formed to be presented from both these positions as well as creating individual vistas from the various resting positions within the space.
Included along with the day-bed area, is a formal dining patio, a breakfasting patio, a utility area, a drying circle, an open moon-gate, curved beds and a cascading water feature. The planting is structure in tilted rigid uniform bands in places to reflect the structure of the hard landscaping. Paths and patios are formed from combinations of silver-blue limestone slabs and silver coloured concrete mono-block with a granite textured finish. The rings are outlined in charcoal coloured concrete cobbles and these constitute the main contrasting detail in the design. An iron moon-gate aperture mirrors these details on the vertical plane.
A modern glass fronted shed positioned along the angled corner of the garden adds privacy and some sound-proofing from neighbouring properties and allows a utility space for potting up and laying out tools etc. The lack of height and interest in this corner is addressed by the installation of a simple open moon-gate formed from a band of iron.
The two-toned curved walls offer a backdrop for the daybed as well as housing a cascading water feature, but also offer some additional storage space around the back for bulky furniture or wheelbarrows etc.
The drying circle accommodates a rotary drier located close to the utility room of the house but for social occasions this can be removed and the circle can be given over to some large cushions or beanbags for guests to lounge on. The breakfast patio is set within a larger band of green slate shale with accompanying block bands of lavender, softening the stone significantly and offering users a pleasant fragrance to heighten their enjoyment of the garden.
The daybed area offers some refuge from a hot summer sun with vistas specifically designed to be seen from the bed. The formal dining area is large enough to accommodate a good sized table with 6 or 8 chairs as well as a heater and parasol etc.
So after much practise and a couple of knock-backs, I finally had come up with a design that a client felt worthy of having built in their garden…phew! The customer was Mary G from Busby on the south side of Glasgow, and not only did she like the design she loved it enough to go over budget to get the project going!
