Place

A back garden in Penrith, on the edge of the Lake District, steeply sloping in several directions, dropping more than 2.5 metres.  The soil is a sandy loam that drains freely but is highly prone to erosion.

Before the rebuild, the garden was neglected and overgrown, with a small paved area at the top. 

The upper part of the garden, with its open aspect, gets plenty of sun while the lower section is in shade for much of the day, and is overlooked by surrounding properties.

View from bottom of back garden

Terraces and steps under construction

Bespoke greenhouse under construction

Brief

To create a garden that feels private, inviting and stylish. To provide a series of distinct zones supporting different activities, balancing active gardening with long-term ease of maintenance. Connection to the wider context was also important, visually linking the 1970s house to the red sandstone characteristic of the surrounding conservation area.

A planting approach that supports biodiversity and wildlife, including design features throughout the garden to support birds, pollinators and other fauna. 

To retain existing sandstone paving, boulders and shrubs wherever possible, ensuring continuity with the original garden.

Site analysis

Site survey

The steep gradient largely dictated the layout. The design embraces the slope through a series of terraces and paths based on a grid system of 900 mm squares, creating a series of separate spaces within a relatively small footprint. A meandering stepped path cuts into the terraces and reinforces the idea of a garden carved into the landscape.

Levels, materials and planting were carefully coordinated to manage surface water, slowing and absorbing run-off.

Limestone slabs form the paving and edging, and vertical surfaces are clad in slate, providing visual contrast. The terraces serve as informal seating and display surfaces for pots.

Concept plan

Construction work was commenced and completed in Spring 2025. The works were carried out by Wildroof Landscapes (wildroof.co.uk).

Terraces and steps under construction

Terraces, steps and pond under construction

Limestone paving on lower patio under construction

Newly completed terraces, steps and pond with slate cladding

Midway down the terraces, a bespoke greenhouse (built by Morton Garden Buildings, Cumbria) nestles into the slope. A corten steel–clad pond and planting trough provide material contrast, and timber elements are painted to echo details from the house, unifying the garden with its architectural context.

A couple of niches were constructed to place small pots of Auriculas.

The pond is fed by rainwater and has quickly established itself as a thriving ecological asset. After initial algal blooms due to the exposure to the sun, introduction of shade plants, Daphnia and snails has transformed the health of the pond. 

Excavated limestone boulders uncovered during terrace construction, were used on one edge of the pond, incorporating a trickling waterfall. Others used to create rockeries on the slopes and resin the very sandy soil. 

Newly completed terraces, steps and pond

First shrubs and perennials being planted

Newly planted shrubs and perennials in foreground, and green roof over bike shed at lower boundary.

Garden three months after completion

Steps winding through the terraces, provide a variety of experiences from top to bottom

Auricula theatre

The planting scheme is guided by a restrained palette of green and white, emphasizing texture, form and seasonal variation. 

The planting design responds directly to the steep topography with the concept of ‘hanging gardens’, which will develop over time. This layered approach softens the engineered terraces that were required for such a challenging site. The overall planting strategy supports biodiversity and responds to the site’s varied light conditions and pronounced microclimatic variation. 

White-flowered shrubs and perennials in foreground, with early stages of pleached hedge along boundary wall.

Plants starting to establish, first summer

Pond in summer with corten surround

Ammi majus spilling from steel planter

Libertia in front of corten steel pond

Androsace in front of pond

Philadelphus, bamboo and pyracantha were retained and renovated on the site boundary.  These supplement the borrowed landscape from neighbouring gardens. 

Along the rear boundary, hornbeams have been planted and trained against a bamboo framework to form a pleached hedge. Over time, this will provide privacy and shelter while maintaining permeability. 

Elsewhere, planting is used to define space, filter views and create enclosure where the garden is overlooked. A yew hedge, grown from seedlings collected from the front garden, will provide enclosure to the upper terrace seating area.

Tree selection was prioritised from the outset to establish long-term structure.  Structural evergreen planting provides year-round presence and a sense of permanence, while deciduous trees, shrubs and perennials provide seasonal variation.

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Place

This client is a busy family with diverse and changing needs, including wheelchair access. They are committed to actively contributing to the garden’s development. The existing mature garden on a corner plot, sloping upwards from the house, has a tapestry of micro-climates. It enjoys a sunny aspect but also presents some challenges, being bordered by a busy road and overlooked from below. The site includes features worth preserving, such as certain retaining walls, two small ponds, and some outstanding mature plants.

Back and side of garden from pavement on main road

Yard adjacent to back door

View to top of garden showing condition of steps

Brief

Key considerations include screening from the busy road and optimizing the garden’s orientation to create productive spaces, including an orchard, while also encouraging wildlife. A thoughtful and strategic approach is needed to maximize accessible, usable areas for a variety of activities, incorporating some of the existing structures; this involves rebuilding some of the degraded steps and retaining walls and replacing them with ramps where appropriate.

Work in Progress

Structural work to the retaining walls and addition of ramps will commence once works on the house have been completed. Options are being considered for disabled access between the lowest level and one of the higher, sunnier spaces. Meanwhile, a meadow and an orchard have been planted up, and a hedge to screen the busy road has been established.

Sketch of garden and site analysis

Partially complete wheelchair ramp

Planting up the bed surrounded by the wheelchair ramp

Preparing to establish wildflower meadow

Orchard starting to take shape

Detail of wildflower meadow sown with yellow rattle

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Place

The front garden is gently sloping and sunny with an open aspect.

The back garden is also gently sloping, having several structures which break it up into a series of slightly disconnected spaces.

The owner requires minimal intervention, making the most of existing features, and is willing to invest time and effort into the garden’s development, and some garden maintenance.

Front garden from pavement

Front garden - existing beds

Damp area in front garden

Brief

To pull these diverse elements together so that the different parts of the garden can flow coherently, maximising the space for different activities, including a productive garden. The client would like to retain the Arts and Crafts aesthetic of the house and neighbourhood whilst updating the different parts of the garden to provide contemporary and private spaces to grow food, relax and entertain in.

She also would like a phased plan so that she can budget accordingly.

the design

A concept plan is being developed which will make better use of the site’s orientation to create a series of interconnected garden rooms, resulting in a more cohesive design. The different spaces used different colour themes, which helped provide a framework for the client when she moves existing plants around, and when choosing new plants.

I worked with the client to come up with some quick wins that she can carry out immediately, and in advance of the full masterplan and construction work. The first phase will concentrate on the front garden with a planting plan, as no construction work is required here.

Site analysis of front and back gardens

Mood board for planting ideas

Work begins on access from patio to gazebo

front garden

I designed the planting in the front garden to incorporate some existing planting, expanding the beds and adding further beds for a second phase. The placing of the beds took into account the existing short-cuts taken by visitors across the front lawn, and used a theme of jewel colours.

Planting plan Phase 1 for front garden

New planting beds in progress

Testimonial

Anna designed a plan for bed placement and a planting plan with my colour preferences in mind for the first phase. I can follow the designs at my own pace which works really well for me. Each stage of the design allows for the space to be completed and looks good before i move on to the next step. Anna has designed to maximize existing features while giving suggestions for small changes with big impact. I would never have been able to come up with these thoughtful ideas on my own! Very insightful and encouraging! I’m looking forward to the next phase!

Ruth, Washington

The post Garden in Washington appeared first on Anna Dekker Garden Design.

This small urban space was built on a brownfield site which housed the remains of derelict shops. The site was cleared of hazardous materials, including asbestos, and the ground levels were improved for accessibility.

The brutalist ‘Get Carter Car Park’ dominated the skyline of the town and provided the backdrop for this scheme. The space provided an opportunity to launch the new Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art.

The space was designed to provide a welcoming sitting area which would enhance the overall experience for shoppers and bus passengers in the town centre. The car park and this urban space were subsequently demolished to make way for the new town centre complex.

Urban space for town centre shoppers

Paving under construction

Paving under construction

Paving just after completion

Urban space just after completion

Urban space just after completion

Urban space just after completion

Urban space for town centre shoppers

Urban space for town centre shoppers

The post Urban Space – Jackson Street appeared first on Anna Dekker Garden Design.

My inspiration for this abstract garden design ‘The Greening of Gateshead’s industrial heritage’ came from another of my projects, the reclamation of Watergate Colliery. I designed the carpet bedding spheres to symbolise the elements, now free of contamination.

The collaboration with the local authority nursery, which was located at the edge of Watergate Colliery, brought with it invaluable resources and expertise.

Our biggest challenge was to create a structure for the planting. This consisted of two main parts: the staging and the metal spheres, all of which need to be transported to London. The spheres required a system of mesh to allow compost and moss to be inserted between an external wire mesh which also formed the planting holes, and a finer mesh to retain the growing media. We used a diverse selection of plants with varying textures and colours to represent each of the elements.

Due to the challenging weather conditions in the months leading up to the event, the flowers on the water and air spheres were not in full bloom for the Chelsea Flower Show, which made the award of a silver medal even more gratifying.

However, they were in full flower for the Gateshead Summer Flower Show and we were able to showcase the design as intended.

Concept model

Concept model

Front Page of Garden News

Concept design - view b

Concept design - view a

Concept design - view b

Staging layout

Spheres ready to receive planting

Spheres almost ready for Chelsea

In the marquee at Chelsea

In the marquee at Chelsea

Detail of planting on earth sphere

In the marquee at Chelsea

Silver medal at the Chelsea Flower Show

Water sphere planted for the Gateshead summer show

The Chelsea Flower SHow 1996

The post Chelsea Flower Show appeared first on Anna Dekker Garden Design.

This project in the northeast of England included the transformation of a derelict coal mine into a forest park, with a range of distinct habitats and spaces across 99 hectares. We created a series of zones of varied terrain, including a lake, a waterfall and forest, integrating the new landscape with the adjacent existing woodland. Focal points, created by local artists, are connected by a series of accessible footpaths.

The lake has been colonised naturally by vegetation and wildlife, and the forest park is now well established. The park is a public and educational resource, serving walkers, riders, cyclists and local schools.

Find out more about Watergate Forest Park.

Salix cuttings ready to plant around the site

Views of the lake naturally filled by 5 streams, with site works almost complete

View across the lake in winter

View of the lake, now filled

Settling ponds, prior to being planted

Salix detail

Salix becoming established on the lakeside

Salix in bud

Marginal planting

The lake in summer

Greenheart sculpture by William Pym

Swan

The lake in winter

Winter birdlife

Site Design

This scheme started as a decommissioned coal mine with an underground fire. The local authority carried out reclamation works, leaving the site safe and ready for the landscaping phase.

Over the following five years, I worked as part of a team to design and deliver landscape works across the site. The initial phases involved the development of sports pitches, enhancements to the nursery showground, and parking facilities. The final phase included extensive planting, a network of accessible footpaths and bridlepaths with interpretation signage and waymarkers throughout.

The site was planted predominantly with native species to create mixed woodland, hazel coppice, heathland and marginal planting. Additionally, we planted 160 varieties of Salix taken from cuttings from a national collection.

Aerial view of Watergate Forest Park as it is today. Image courtesy of Google Earth

Outline planting plan including Salix locations

Sketches of sections throughout the park

Detail of planting blocks around ponds

The post Forest Park – Watergate appeared first on Anna Dekker Garden Design.

This local authority scheme started as a wasteland

In just under two years it was transformed into a functioning cemetery with seasonal planting

This local authority scheme started as a wasteland, which had previously been a quarry, then a landfill site.  In just under two years it was transformed into a functioning cemetery with seasonal planting, using a tranquil colour palette of white and purple. The need to cap the contaminated land meant that material had to be imported and spread across the site, and tied into the existing levels. This resulted in the landscape changing from a bowl in profile to a mound. What began as a challenge became an asset. The hilltop gave the chance to create views across the space.  We designed new railings and gates to withstand the impact of heavy vehicles on a downhill bend on one edge of the site.

From the entrance, paths lead around the parkland-style cemetery, with open lawns, ornamental and specimen trees and shrubs. To the east of the site we enhanced an existing wooded dene with a stream which flows into a pond on the northwest side of the cemetery.

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This local authority scheme started as a wasteland

In just under two years it was transformed into a functioning cemetery with seasonal planting

A tranquil colour palette of white and purple flowers

The same view under construction and after completion

Bespoke gates and railings

Bespoke gates

Bespoke railings designed to withstand the impact of heavy vehicles

Bespoke bins and water points are spread around the site

Planting is used to screen the utility areas

Paths weave through seasonal planting

Site Design

One of the design challenges was to separate mourners and utility vehicles as discreetly as possible, using a combination of layout, circulation and screening with plants. Careful detailing of the hard landscape features was required to ensure that kerb edges etc were robust enough to cope with the circulation and movement of utility vehicles.

Hard Landscaping Details

Outline Planting Plan

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