Prairie-style Front Garden in Kingston
The clients, Thalia and Steve, have a real appreciation of nature and want to change the sloping lawn in the front of their house to a naturalistic and dynamic garden that would attract wildlife and change with seasons.
I was in charge of the survey, landscaping and planting designs and project management of the building and planting. Thalia and Steve are so pleased with my design and work. They said:
“The front garden and all its ever changing glory. The amount of bees and butterflies is more than we could have hoped to attract. Huge thanks to the wonderful Echoes of Nature studio who helped to create this for us. We love every bit of it!”
I have created a corten steel sloping path with steps to dive and enlarge space. Three beautiful wave log piles are made to give a structural interest as well as provide wonderful home and food for wildlife. And I love including water elements in the garden designs. In this design I used a lovely salt glaze bird bath. It is not only a focus point but also provides an essential water source for birds.
The clients love the feeling of prairie-style planting with bursting colours, therefore a collection of perennial plants are used in this planting design. I focused on the use of ornamental grasses combined with late-flowering perennials, to create drifts and flows of plants. This planting design offers a delightful blend of beauty and practicality. Once established, a prairie garden requires minimal maintenance compared to traditional garden beds, saving time and effort in watering, weeding, and upkeep. Below are some photos of the garden four months after planting.
