Site
A large garden on the banks of the Thames.
Brief
The garden floods once a year as part of the Thames water management and we worked alongside the architects to design and plan the garden as they created a new flood proof home. There were extensive parameters from the Environment Agency as the water must be able to move into the garden unimpeded – there could be no swales or mounds, no structures within the flood zone. Space was needed for the water to move underneath the house into specially designed chambers. The planting needed to be tough and resilient to withstand being underwater for weeks at a time.
Response / Design
The large garden was divided into zones – a swimming pool was created tucked behind curved hedges and a bespoke childproof fence; designed by Rosie and made by a local black smith. A formal lawn was placed between the house and the river to give space for hosting parties, deep flower beds give space for abundant planting with year-round interest, several semi-mature trees were sourced and included to enrich the existing tree cover, a wildflower meadow was created plus a vegetable garden and reptile hibernacula to provide a safe, warm, and dry environment for wildlife to shelter. The mooring is formed in timber and boathouse clad in waney edge to soften its presence in the landscape. A boardwalk skips across the top of the meadow to let both adults and children interact with the wildlife and plants in the meadow and relate the mooring to the garden. We worked with Cheeky Monkey treehouses to create a wonderful play structure that sits above the flood hight, so both children (and the Environment agency) were happy.
