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Introduction

Family and holiday home, wildlife and naturalistic planting set on side of valley with beautiful views across the river, a short walk from the beach. Wisteria in flower in front of door

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Videos

Rhug livestream playlist

Site

Sloped drive to house, spur off rough track from the road. House about 3m above track, facing south east 148° with view across river valley across 17m x 6m patio. Also pedestrian access from track to side of patio.

View of house on hillside from road & other houses

Files

Screenshot of CAD plan

pinterest.co.uk/NatureWorksGarden/rhug

Description

Areas

Wall Garden
Patio
Shade Garden
Forest Garden

There’s parking at the east end of the house and entrance is via the patio to the front door through an archway, or there is pedestrian access from the track, by the Wall Garden. This is a large expanse of wall beneath the patio, which is covered by climbers that flower in succession, and up some steep, curved steps, past another climber to the patio archway.

The patio is divided into 3 areas by curved, low raised beds. The L-shaped seating area on the east end, the enclosed water feature in the centre and the BBQ seating area at the west end, opposite the conservatory.

A path takes you around the side of the house past the Shade Garden, two partially shaded, stone wall edged beds, filled with low, woodland plants.

The path continues round the back of the house to the right, through to the forest garden. Along the left of the grass path is a perennial vegetable area; to the right is a rustic post and rail fence. As well as apple and pear trees, there are hazels and fruit bushes, protected by fruiting windbreaks on the north and easterly boundaries, and all covered with low-maintenance ground cover.

1. Wall Garden

Illustration overlaid onto concrete wall

Wall rendered with bag rub finish.
Retaining wall, maybe 1-1.5m high, following curve of track, filled with topsoil, covered in resilient ground cover.
2-3 climbers on main wall front, mix of flowering succession so colour all year round, plus evergreen to keep wall covered.
West end of wall, mixture of different coloured ivy species to cover wall and terraced ground.
Rustic handrail by steps, same style as forest garden
East end of wall, colourful, scented small evergreen climber.
Steep bed has single ground cover that stabilises ground, with 3 small tough shrubs providing scent & colour.

2. Patio

Sketch of log store and storage area

Archway
Seating
Fire pit
Balustrade
Water
Beds
Lighting
Climbers
Hot tub

Materials

White render, bag rub finish: patio retaining wall, front of house, balustrade mini-wall.
Small blockwork faced with stone: seating, beds
Stone
- Paving, Millstone NEXTpave Original
- Stone for walls of seating & beds
- Stone slabs for seating
- Coping stone to for tops of beds

Examples

Paving Stone wall detail Stone slab seating Rough coping stone on wall

1. Archway

Rustic arch on garden path

Archway into patio important feature, as all other elements are purposefully kept low.
Helps create sense of enclosure.
Symmetrical yet rustic style, to echo round-ended raised beds.
Construction materials same as the post and rail fence forest garden.
Scented, non-vigourous evergreen climber from steep bed on other side of seating area.

2. Seating

Sketch of side view of seating area CAD plan of seating area

L-shaped integral seating
Small blockwork construction, faced with stone
Coping stone for contact areas same material as for mini-wall & raised beds
Log store
Store, with sliding timber doors, for foldable chairs & cushions
Void beneath east seat for folding coffee table
Green roof planters on both sides
Integral side tables
Space for doubled-up picnic tables & fire pit

Rustic folding coffee table

Seating detail finish

Green roof

Cross-section illustration of green roof construction

See Green Living Roof guide PDF for instructions
Substrate based system, 120mm depth, 170 kg/m²
Total area 3.5m²
20% soil + 80% waste substrate
Varying areas & depths of soil, for diversity
Driftwood and rocks, added interest & habitat
Key plants: Chives, Viper’s Bugloss, Stonecrop Sedum
Bee wildflower seed mix
House side 3.1m x 1m
Path side
- 3.9m x 0.55m
- Contains drainage gulley, by path side
- Rain chain by wisteria on front wall
- More sand & free draining

3. Fire pit

Big cast iron burning pot on legs on stone, in front of seat

Free standing kadai, easily moved
Log store at back of seating area
Can be used for cooking

4. Balustrade

Glass balustrade with mini-wall, around decking area

Mini-wall constructed from small blockwork
Height 30cm
Rendered white, bag rub finish as per house
Coping stone same as seating & raised beds
Frameless or top-rail?

5. Water

Steel water bowl filled with water, on grass

Water bowl
In centre of raised sensory beds, just visible from seating areas
Tap! Mounted on wall by BBQ.

6. Beds

Quaking grass in balustrade bed

Low beds, approx 50cm high
Blockwork, faced with local stone
Coping stone same as seating & mini-wall
Double up as seats!

Five beds:

Seating bed — low growing herbs, rosemary, thyme etc
Water bowl bed — lavender by walkway, aromatic like artemisias, brightly coloured full-sun native wild flowers
Balustrade bed — breaks up length of the balustrade. Shorter, height of mini-wall (30cm?). Quaking Grass, Scabious, Crocuses
Conservatory bed — Oregano, Lemon Balm, Anise Hyssop, Bergamot
Tub bed — screen for hot tub. 50cm high, tub is 90cm high, covered by grass from late spring onward.