Site Specifics
We were invited to design a modest new build garden for our client in Maghull. The existing space was mainly lawn, with a small amount of paving outside the back door. This original garden design was uninspiring and served little to no purpose.
Client Brief
After seeing 4D Garden Design’s work on his son’s garden, the client was eager to instruct us to come up with ideas for his own. The client had a jacuzzi in storage, and his only real request was for the hot tub to be sited in a modern garden that was going to be easy to look after.
Design Solution
Our solution was to address the siting of the hot tub so that it became the focal point of this new build garden. We did this by incorporating a large 7m x 4m metal and glass garden shelter as the surround for the hot tub. The fence treatment was important in order to make the garden feel as big as possible.
By putting a large shelter and a large hot tub in a relatively compact area, it is easy to overpower the space. We combated this by keeping the material selection simple and painting the side fences black to increase the sense of space. The rear boundary was clad with slatted fencing, again adding to the illusion of size.
We used crazy paving as the entrance to the hot tub shelter to add detail to the hard landscaping. Resin-bound aggregate was used under the shelter and hot tub as it is porous and will allow any water from the hot tub to drain away.
Planting was kept bold and simple with the use of evergreen topiary balls and small seasonal interest trees to help soften the garden. Around the shelter, the planting consists of a mixture of shade-loving plants, climbers, ground cover and herbaceous perennials.
The garden is illuminated at night, the lighting being remote-controlled, and the roof system on the shelter is fully automated, allowing for the space to be in full sun or full shade, according to the client’s wishes.
4th Dimension
We have been back to photograph the garden six months on, allowing us to see the progress of this garden design project. The planting is establishing well, and our client has been inundated with positive feedback and compliments from family and friends visiting the garden who had seen the original space.
Two comments that recur are that they can’t believe how big the garden now feels, bearing in mind the large shelter and hot tub in the space, and also that they can’t believe how realistic the design images are compared to the finished garden.
