The idea

The owners of this garden inherited a site full of materials the previous owner, a builder, had left behind. That was a real opportunity to reuse and repurpose what we had to hand, creating places to sit as well as habitat for wildlife. The client has fully embraced this approach and has built some lovely features themselves.

At the heart of the garden is a new wildlife pond, set beneath a mature cedar. One side slopes gently into the water as a shallow, planted margin, while the opposite bank is held by a curving dry stone wall. Large stones rest in the water as stepping stones and basking spots, and a fallen limb along the far bank has been left to provide shelter for insects, amphibians and birds.

A simple oak deck sits at the water's edge, reached by a single reclaimed stone step. Across the pond, a sheltered seat has been cut into the bank. Its curved back is built from stacked reclaimed tiles, and its floor is laid in salvaged brick in a herringbone pattern, a quiet place to sit and look back across the water.

The flora

Around these features, the ground has either been seeded or left to recover to see what appears on its own. Tree planting across the site has been planned with a focus on mostly native species, so the garden will grow into its setting and continue to support wildlife for years to come.

The detail

The real highlight of the project has been the wall emerging from the water.