The Old Rectory: meadows

The Old Rectory - Meadows

Moving clockwise from the canal garden, you will emerge into a meadow with an orchard and a west-facing terrace. I wanted a relaxed and romantic mood in this space.

Reorganising the space

Previously, there was just a very simple and featureless lawn here, but I wanted this space to be a bit more dynamic.

• The hedge that bordered this space with the canal garden was replaced with a dry-stone wall, which added some formal drama.
• I echoed the silhouette of the building with a terrace, which takes full advantage of the west-facing evening sunshine.
• The terrace is grounded by big box cubes, which also reflect the proportions of the house. Borrowed views were retained and heightened, with a view through to the neighbouring church kept clear.
• The lawn was reseeded with a wildflower meadow which encourages biodiversity into the garden from the surrounding fields. The flowers also really ramp up the colour of this space, and echo similar plants located at the west-facing terrace.
• A mix of informal orchard trees surround a very quiet swimming pool.
• Grass paths give a sense of relaxed formality - they offer a clear route through, but aren't too imposing. They also divide the space into four clear areas, all of which are meadow apart from one which is cut short to showcase the shadow of the walnut tree.

Limestone

As this site is located in the Cotswolds, limestone is prevalent in the soil, making it alkaline. This limits the range of plants you can grow. The challenge was to work with this environment, rather than against it.

• The wildflower panels were sown with a limestone mix, which contained seeds for flowers that were adapted to this environment.
• If you can let a part of your garden go wild, you'll be able to see what thrives there in its natural state. These wild sections don't have to be big; they could be at the fringes of your garden, but they will invite local wildlife back in and promote biodiversity.

The western terrace

This sits very squarely in front of the house on a rectangular lawn.

• There is a slight change in level from the house, so we installed two very simple steps along the entirety of the house's facade. These can also double up as seating steps.
• We folded the proportions of the house down to form a pleasing symmetry. This is a great rule of thumb to consider when creating your own terrace.
• The terrace is framed by repeating box cubes that sit informally around the space. They serve to echo the squareness of the house, while also providing distinction between areas.
• Colours from the meadow have been brought into the planting here, and the existing Wisteria is a key element of the house's mood.
• The ancient Yew trees are likely to be the same age as the house, and not only provide a boundary between the garden and village beyond, but also offer a beautiful dark backdrop to the other planting.

Taking inspiration from what you keep

After you've made your initial edits in a space, look at the key things you've left behind to give you an indication of where you want to go with your future planting.

• Both the existing Yew trees and Wisteria were really important in this space, but this still left the ground very open and bare. This informed my idea about echoing the proportions of the house down onto the ground in the form of box plinths.
• Next we put in the shrubs, which hold the garden on it's corners and smooth the difference in height up to the Yew trees. Multi stemmed Amelanchier also rise up from the planting, offering another level directing your gaze up through the trees.
• These static plants help to structure the garden, framing the views and creating formal spaces amongst the key existing plants. Perennials can then be planted in and around these.

Plant Directory

• Wildflower
• Cowslips
• Knapweed
• Apple tree
• Plum tree
• Hornbeam tree
• Walnut tree
• Yew tree
• Box hedging
• Amelanchier
• Calamagrostis Karl Foerster
• Wisteria
• Yew tree
• Ferns
• Ivy
• Hydrangea Aspera

Your Assignment

The meadow is all about reflecting the formality of the house and its history but I wanted to balance it with a relaxed informality that feels comfortable. Take stock of the formal and informal elements in both your garden and your brief and try to map out how each will balance the other. This could be through planting, materials, journey or layout.