Expansive rural gardens, Co. Wicklow
This large modern house sits in a beautiful rural location, with views over the Irish sea and to the Wicklow hills. However, the position is exposed, and the house had no landscaping when it was built, so it sat quite starkly in the gentle landscape.
The first priority was to add a number of trees, to create shelter, balance the mass of the house and settle the house into its landscape. The trees were selected to suit the different microclimates across the site, whether damp, exposed or more sheltered.
The site also needed improved boundaries, so native hedges were installed, which provided the shelter belt needed to create planting beds. As a family garden on farmland, the planting is hardy, bold and unfussy when further from the house, with more delicate planting on the terraces.
The house sits below a large bank, into which were installed a series of steps, constructed of railway sleepers, making the top section of the garden more accessible. The bank has been planted with repeated groupings of hardy shrubs, selected to ensure that there is always something in flower to greet the family as they turn into the driveway.