The client had just bought extra land from his neighbour, nearly doubling the size of his garden. He had a clear idea of what he wanted: separate areas for different uses. Somewhere to sit and entertain, a planting area so he could give up his allotment, and a big stretch of lawn for the dog to run around on.

We designed the whole garden around a 50-year-old apple tree that was already there, using it as the centrepiece. From the main patio, we created pathways leading out to raised oak planter beds with gravel around them for a natural feel. The ground was all over the place with different levels throughout, so there was a lot of groundwork needed before we could start building anything up. We used Indian sandstone fossil slabs for the patio, oak sleepers for the raised beds, and close board panel fencing with concrete gravel boards and posts to retain the new garden boundary.

The best part was watching the client showing it off to his mates and neighbours afterwards. He’s since added lighting around the beds, so it looks the part in the evenings too.