The front terrace

Little Dartmouth

The Front Terrace

The stunning sea views on this exposed side of the house governed the design of these paired-back planted areas, while the harsh conditions here required some unique planting considerations.

Borrowed Landscapes and Designing Around the View

The front terrace with its big sea views is effectively the frontline, where the wind really hits. I wanted to keep everything very simple here, because this area is all about the view and taking in the context. I didn't want the planting to compete with that.

• I made sure all the plants felt right tonally, that they blend with the trees beyond, and also that they work in this environment, in that they are adapted to these windy, bright, dry conditions.

One of the key plants here is Phillyrea angustifolia, a Mediterranean shrub that responds very well to clipping. These have been clipped to echo the shapes of the trees in the distance.

• By changing the scale with close-up things that are managed in a way that echoes the shape of something beyond in its natural state, you create a very nice borrowed landscape.

Though small, these planted spaces call you in and make you feel that you're in a space that's cared for. Crucially, they connect to what lies beyond, allowing your eye to travel through to the sea view.

Setting the Layers

Changes in level are always interesting, and I wanted to create special moments in negotiating them, whilst keeping the moves simple. We used some big stones from nearby to create step changes, with big boulders allowing you to step over the wall from one space into another.

Whilst keeping the planting very simple, I wanted to create a contrast between the static clipped forms of the Phillyrea and the plants that have movement and seasonal change. One of the great things about this area is the air moving through it, so it's good to harness that.

• Rising above the Phillyrea, I've used Verbena bonariensis, which brings air and lightness into the planting above the weight of the clipped forms.
• This perennial is very easy to use and very versatile too. It's well adapted to the dry, exposed conditions here, but also works well on moister soils, and will readily seed around.

The mid-layer below is plugged with things like lavenders, which are cut back at the end of summer to create lovely silvery clipped forms throughout the winter. Now in early summer, they have a lovely lightness to them, so the clipped Phillyrea forms give way to the softer form of the lavenders.

That softness is then picked up by Erigeron karvinskianus, which we allow to seed freely in the terrace.

• By finding its way into the cracks in the paving, this Mexican daisy stops the terrace feeling too monumental, introducing some informality through a feeling of the plants having got a little hold.

For Year-to-Year Variety

Some other good plants in the mix on the front terrace are:

• Phlomis italica – a lovely felty-leaved evergreen with a pink flower.
• White Centranthus (valerian) – another self-seeder that moves around, even seeding into walls, so the planting never stays the same from year to year. This white form feels right here, where the focus is on silvers and whites rather than lots of colour.

Using the Locale as Inspiration for the Planting

When you're beginning a design or redesign for a site like this, it's always good to go and find out what's going on in the immediate locale, and to use that as inspiration for your own planting.

• Down on the cliffs, there are mounds of gorse and other shrubs that have been naturally cut by the wind. These are a great inspiration for the clipped Phillyrea forms on the front terrace.
• Low-growing pioneer plants, such as thrift, cling on to the cliff edges, finding the tiniest niche. These are echoed in the Erigeron growing between the paving slabs.

These influential elements from the landscape are reflected in both the aesthetic of the front terrace planting, and also in this lovely juxtaposition between the clipped Phillyrea and the Erigeron.

Creating Shelter

Finding a Balance

Shelter is key in this exposed site. But with shelter, you can risk losing the views. There's therefore a balancing act to navigate between wanting to ensure you can see out but also having enough shelter for the planting. To help you find a successful balance, you really need to work with plants that are adapted to these conditions.

Future-Proofing Your Garden

The original big pines are fantastically useful. However, we've also planted new shelter for the future. In the surrounding fields, we've created roundels of evergreens, such as pines and evergreen oaks, so that when the old shelterbelts fail, we've got a new generation to continue that role.

Choosing Plants to Use for Shelter

When creating shelter, it's important to identify species that thrive in that location, and not fight that natural cue. The holly hedges are something I noticed when exploring the locale, and they really work. The cockspur thorn was in the garden originally, so we've planted more of those. Beech also grows well here, so we've used a cut-leaved beech for some of our future-proofing trees.

We've only experimented where we really feel able to take a risk. It's so exposed here that you can lose years by using something that looks promising but then fails. It's best to play safe when you're on the front line – look at what's growing locally and work with that, maybe just adapting the way it's used.

Shelter Creates Opportunities

The places where we've experimented are in the inner parts of the garden where we've got more shelter. Creating shelter is really important in allowing you to start playing with your plant palettes a bit, so we can use things here that wouldn't work out on the front terrace.

Consider Carefully What to Edit and What to Introduce

Considering what edits to make to existing, established elements in the garden is a big decision. We considered very carefully how we might retain the existing views and also open new views up.

We've retained trees that some might consider weedy species, because they're doing really well here. There's a fantastic sycamore at the bottom of the lawn that's perfectly adapted to these conditions. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it as a good tree that works well in this landscape.

The key is to use plants and trees that you know will work in your conditions, choosing to make your mark only where you need to, but doing so selectively and with careful judgement. That involves looking to the locale, identifying what does well in the area, and not moving off that palette too quickly to ensure you avoid wasting time with things that might not thrive.

Plant Directory

Phillyrea angustifolia

Verbena bonariensis

Erigeron karvinskianus

Phlomis italic

Centranthus ruber 'Albus'

Your Assignment

If you're developing a new site or renovating an existing garden, take another look at it in light of the concepts discussed in this chapter. Consider which pre-existing elements of the site you might like to keep, and jot these down below.

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