COMPLETED
PROJECTS

Location: Bordeaux, France

Site description: 3000 sq. meter site, rather flat but slopes slightly away from the house. One side of the property the vineyard starts, while the other side is the country lane. There are four distinct parts: in front of the house between the fruit trees and the lane (1500dq meters), behind the house (300sq meters), and between the fruit trees and the vineyard further in front of the barn.

The brief: Help to define the permanent shape and hardlandscaping for the Northwest part of the border that will give its form for the next ten, thirty or forty years. It is the long-term vision she asked for.

As it is a rural area she wanted to use plants locally and materials that fits the French country setting. She asked for a garden for all year interest, spare and not blowsy like English garden, more contemplative.

The design process: The design was divided in four distinctive styles. For the back of the house, the design evolved around the stone well. The hardlandscape would have a circular theme with gaps in between the paving for planting. Clipped boxes, Santolina and lavenders would be placed around architectural and multi-stemmed trees, inspired by the work of Nicole the Vesian.

The front of the house she built a driveway that divides the property into two areas. To hide the driveway I suggested planting the edges of the driveway in a informal style. Two rows of fruit trees would be planted on either side of this garden. Two large border would be planted with large shrubs and herbaceous in between the fruit trees.

In front of the kitchen garden, a large lawn area would be developed. All around the lawn, grasses, small trees and perennials would be planted in large drifts to give a modern atmosphere.

On the far end, the garden slopes and a stone wall rises around a tree and retain the soil. The wall continues around the edge of the property, curving and jumping as a sculpture.

In between the traditional and modern garden, an alley of fruit trees would be planted to divide the two gardens. The fruit trees would be underplanted with bearded irises.

Major hardlandscaping materials: Stone, limestone, gravel and rusted iron.

Major softlandscaping materials: Sophora, bearded irises, Alchemilla molis, santolina, fruit trees.