Dense cottage garden planting with random yorkstone path including delphiniums, lupins and woven willow plant support

Radstock Wiltshire
Thatched cottage garden

The idea

This project involved a dual transformation of the home’s immediate surroundings. To the back, we tackled a steep bank by installing terraced drystone walling that widens as it descends, drawing the eye toward the valley views. We built a rose clad drystone wall featuring a millstone we found in the garden.

In the front, a functional but uninspired driveway was reimagined into a welcoming entrance featuring dual pathways made with reclaimed yorkstone pavers and cobbles repurposed from the garden.

The flora

To create an atmospheric, lived-in feel, we designed deep borders that wrap around the house. The planting follows a cottage-garden aesthetic, intentionally featuring high-performing self-seeders to ensure the garden feels immersive and evolving. A feature crab apple was planted in the middle of the central border. Together with crab apple trees and roses, the thoughtful planting design of thistles, lupins, bistort, valerian, and asters truly makes this charming garden feel spectacular. The ferns and hazels that border the roadside boundary connect it all to the wider landscape.

The detail

We utilized reclaimed Yorkstone pavers and integrated cobbles repurposed directly from the original site, ensuring anchorage to the history of the property.

Cottage garden for period thatched cottage in Somerset with reclaimed stone paths, lupins, thistles, catmint and a feature crab apple tree
A lush garden with various plants, a wooden bench, and a pathway surrounded by trees and dense foliage.
A vibrant, impressionistic painting of a cottage garden in Somerset
Aerial shot of cottage garden layout and the diverse naturalistic planting design including the central crab apple tree and cobble driveway

“I never want to leave his gardens.”

Andrew Maybury

Cottage garden planting design including lupins, delphiniums, ragged robin and native perennial plants
Cobbles path running through the cottage garden planting design and drystone walling feathering with self seeded plants on top of the wall
Circular cobbled patio with dense wild naturalistic planting which colonies the cobblestones and lawn
Cobbled terrace with lantern and cottage naturalistic planting design and views of the wooded valley beyond
Cobbled seating area set in amongst wild cottage garden planting design with a drystone wall backdrop featuring a millstone set in to the wall wit roses climbing up
Somerset cottage garden cobbled terrace with vies across the wooded valley with the thatched cottage

Design and build
Eaglestone Gardens

Planting design
Eaglestone Gardens

Photography
Andrew Maybury
Tom Eaglestone
Annaick Guitteny