wildlife GARDEn

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This suburban Essex garden was transformed from the ground up, from an initial consultation and through to build and planting. The brief was to create a space that felt genuinely beautiful to spend time in, while being ecologically purposeful: natural materials chosen with care, and planting designed to support wildlife through every season.

The result is a garden that doesn’t stand still. It shifts, surprises, and rewards not only my clients, but the wildlife and those who visit.

“Sarah has turned our garden into the most welcoming and beautiful place to unwind. We always felt in sync with her during the design process and build  - particularly appreciating her advice on the best natural materials to use, as well as planting to encourage wildlife. She has used the space so imaginatively that it continues to surprise us every day.”

I designed this garden with separate 'rooms' linked by a central snaking pathway. A device intended to trick the eye away from the long, thin shape and take my clients on a journey through the space.

As you leave the rear of the house, you step onto a small patio with a built-in bench: just right for an evening G&T. From there, the gravel pathway draws you up and forward, arriving first at a curved wooden bench angled to catch the morning sun. Further on, the lounge room offers a chance to pause; low chairs and dappled shade in the morning giving way to afternoon sun. The final destination is a dining area at the garden's end, sheltered beneath a wooden pergola and enclosed by lush planting, creating an intimate space to while away long summer evenings.

Natural materials, sandstone and gravel, in warm neutral tones provide the backdrop. With green-striped accent tiles lifting the palette. The tile colour was chosen to echo the stained glass windows of the surrounding church buildings, a detail that felt right for clients with a strong creative sensibility.

Planting was shaped by the aspect: despite facing north, the garden benefits from good levels of light throughout the day. Multi-stem Amelanchiers flank the path entrance, framing the view from the house and casting a beautiful dappled light, as well as offering year-round ecological value.

The wider planting combines structure and movement, evergreen anchors alongside tall, airy perennials including Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii, Verbascum, Sanguisorba, Salvia, Foeniculum vulgare and Cephalaria gigantea. The Sanguisorba and Cephalaria in particular bring height and gentle sway, drawing the eye down the length of the garden and reinforcing the sense of journey.