‘I’m no gardener.  I asked Freddy to create a low-maintenance garden.  Having said that, my expectations were high.  Colour, texture and year-round variety was on my wish list.  I wanted to feel immersed as I made my way to the studio.  Freddy listened, and delivered.  I couldn’t be happier with the result.’ S Worthington 

‍A long, narrow garden.  Our client asked us to create a structured, but flower-filled garden with a garden retreat.  Designed as a series of contemporary-feeling episodes, the planting combines the ornamental with a more naturalistic atmosphere.

We designed a simple, statement structure with black corrugated metal panels. It is placed at the end of the garden and nestles under existing wild cherries. The vibe of woodland glade has been enhanced by the addition of small, ornamental Malus toringoides.  Winter-flowering shrubs, ferns and low-level perennials and grasses create a stylized woodland carpet.

Beside the house, a south-facing terrace is framed by more exuberant ornamental borders.  Three multi-stem Amelanchier canadensis create shade.  The boundaries here are clad in black corrugated panels, matching the retreat.  Basketweave brick thresholds indicate transitions between spaces. 

From the terrace, a curved path leads through the ornamental meadow, punctuated by large, organic evergreen forms. Mass plantings of the ornamental grasses Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Hameln’ and Seseleria autumnalis ‘Greenlee Hybrid’ are embellished with flowering perennials. One of the boundaries is a simple post and rail fence, painted black, and accompanied by a row of Rosa ‘Queen of Sweden.’