Wildlife garden for Midcentury house and design lovers

The brief

One of the best aspects of my job is meeting people. Here an old client of mine recommended to friends of theirs. This fabulous couple had fought hard to secure a rare modern house with a large garden in South London. Their love for modern design and good design full stop was evident from the minute I stepped into their house. The property has an interesting history and the rear garden used to be an orchard. The challenge was to transition from the modern house into a rear garden that would invite wildlife and promote biodiversity. The owners told me from the start that they would want to install a couple of beehives and wanted to be able to watch the bees activity. The garden wasn’t levelled but we decided that we would work and embrace its natural wavy contours while terracing it more formally near the house.

What I did

The materials near the house are very much dictated by the materials used inside the house or on its elevation. I managed to source clay pavers that are almost identical to the ones used for the original inside flooring, creating a seamless link. The concrete bench and steps compliment the architecture of the house and have been constructed on site using shattering in order for the grain of the timber to engrave the concrete. A pond was created near the house to reflect the sky and sunsets as well as encourage wildlife. 2 years on and it is visited by amphibians, dragonflies, and many birds come to drink. The garden has become a haven for birds, 5 different types of bees, and is bursting with life. It looks wonderful throughout the year with abundant Winter interest as well as Autumn colour, Spring blossom and Summer flowers.

Photos by Annaïck Guitteny.