The land art of sculptor Andy Goldsworthy was the starting point for the sweeping S - shape wall that has turned this sleepy subarban garden into an exciting, dynamic space. Thousands of slivers of riven grey slate create a low drystone wall that swoops and swirls its way around the trunk of a tree and encircle a round timber deck before sinking into a border at the back. In casting this single graphic figure on the ground in one grand gesture, the Brazilian garden designer Roberto Silva has pulled all the different areas in the garden together and created a unique layout that looks particularly stunning when viewed from above. The sweeping curve defines the area of lawn near the house, dividing it from the stone terrace beneath the tree and the wooden deck beyond. From an uptairs window it looks like a bold, bright abstract painting.
But the wall isn't not only about aesthetics; it also supplies the focus for a much used family garden. just two feet ( Sixty centimetres ) at its highest, it is safe for children to run along, or for people to use as bench or lounger to lie on in the sun. It makes a jump for lively dogs and a slalom for model cars. Plates can be balanced on it for a quick picnic lunch, or for summer parties, jars of candles can be lined up along its length. A pathway of self-binding gravel follows the wall to the deck, a circular space often used as a stage for live music - sockets for electric guitars and amplifiers are hidden behind a large boulder jutting into the floor. For cool contemplation, a water fountain has been incorporated into the stone cairns that stand like land sculptures beneath the tree.
Natural stones in different forms runs through this garden like a theme, from the slate wall itself right down to the boulder fountain and pebble mulch. All other elements in the garden have been kept purposefully simple, to support rather than detract from the impact opf the curve. Furniture is minimal, while plants are mainly grey and green of Eucalyptus, umbrella -like tree ferns and tufty stipa grasses, japanese acers have been added for autums colur, and for their reference to the japanese gardens which certain aspects of this garden recall. Like boulders in gravel gardens signifying mountains, the large rock that rises out of the lawn serves as a symbolic reminder of the raw material behind all this artifice. There are no strong colours - no jarring tones. This is just as well, for once every year, nature adds to the display with an art show of her own. The ornamental cherry - un unfashionable tree that has become a bane of the british suburbs - comes into pink fluffy bloom in may and drops her petals over the garden like a pale confetti carpet. For just a few short weeks, the effect is akin to that of an art gallery installation. | 
