Five years ago, Annabel and Gregory Stone decided it was time for a change. “Initially, we thought about moving,” says Annabel. “But we have been in this house, in a quiet corner enclosed by Dulwich Park, for nearly half a century, and we gradually realised that we would never find anywhere else with such a special location. So, in the end, we decided to remodel what we already had instead.”
At a time of life when most people are thinking about downsizing, the Stones’ solution was to build a rear extension, which actually increased the size of their home. Inevitably, in the process, they decreased the size of their garden, which is when Barbara Samitier of Moss Studio came onto the scene.
“It was an unusual opportunity to work with clients who were already so intimately acquainted with their garden,” says Barbara. “They knew the best early morning coffee spot, where to go for a gin and tonic at the end of the day, and how to use the garden as a setting for their frequent entertaining. Now they also wanted it to be a safe but stimulating space for their young grandchildren to play freely, and a nurturing environment for local wildlife. They just needed some help putting it all together.”
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In its previous iteration, the garden had a neat, conventional layout, with perimeter borders and a couple of small seating areas around the edges where the couple could get the best of the morning and evening light. The open heart of the garden was given over to a large expanse of lawn.
“I suggested bringing in lots more plants,” says Barbara. “To begin with, Gregory was worried about making the lawn smaller, but I persuaded him that dividing the garden up would make it feel bigger. It is a classic design trick – hide the boundaries so you cannot immediately see where the garden ends, then break up the space within those boundaries, and introduce a sense of mystery, of infinite possibility.”
Looking out onto the garden in the low slanting sunshine of a beautiful autumn day, it is clear that Gregory was wise to trust Barbara. A terrace runs seamlessly out from the new open-plan living area, edged by beds filled with airy fennel and Verbena bonariensis, which lightly veil the view.
There is still a lawn running away from the terrace, although now it is punctuated by domes of yew and a number of multi-stemmed Viburnum x burkwoodii, which rise up from square beds filled with Luzula nivea. But what really catches your eye is the dynamic mass of ornamental grasses which rise up like a living wall behind it, swaying and shimmering in the slightest breeze.
Upright Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’, dramatically plumed Miscanthus sinensis ‘Kleine Silberspinne’ and wine-coloured Panicum virgatum ‘Shenandoah’ contrast with and complement their companions. They are interspersed with swathes of lavender-hued Aster x frikartii ‘Mönch’ and Eurybia x herveyi, plus soft-pink Echinacea pallida and smoky-purple Hylotelephium ‘Matrona’.
I wanted this to be a garden that encourages exploration. When you can see everything from the terrace, there is no reason to step out into it
Annabel had specifically requested this soft and pretty palette of colours, but there are also bold clumps of golden Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii ‘Goldsturm’, which Barbara persuaded her would enhance the combination. At this time of year, they do indeed provide a rich foil for all that dreamy softness.
A simple stepping-stone path cuts through the midst of the eye-high mass of plants, tempting you to walk on and discover what lies hidden on the other side. “I wanted this to be a garden that encourages exploration,” says Barbara. “When you can see everything from the terrace, there is no reason to step out into it. Here, you get glimpses that entice you onwards.”
Anyone who does venture through the sea of grasses emerges into an open Mediterranean-style garden with a comfortable seating area in just the spot where Annabel and Gregory have been sipping their sundowners for decades. The difference is that their cocktail spot, once set out on the open lawn, is now hidden from sight of the house.
In this little world apart, Barbara has exploited the free-draining conditions to conjure a gravel garden scattered with aromatic, drought-tolerant planting. Naturally, there are swathes of ‘Munstead’ lavender, purple sage, rosemary and the pretty Thymus ‘Silver Posie’, but also a low-mounding Pinus mugo and one fine Myrtus communis to anchor the space. Stipa tenuissima and Stipa gigantea ‘Goldilocks’ pick up the grassy theme, and Oenothera lindheimeri provides floaty floral interest for months on end.
Settling down on one of the Vincent Shepherd sofas, completely surrounded by plants, is a sensually immersive experience for adults and a jungle adventure for the grandchildren, who love to hide back here out of sight. Those lucky children have equal fun racing along a Winter Walk that Barbara has wound around the shady perimeter of the garden.
Dividing the garden up is a classic design trick – hide the boundaries, break up the space within them, and introduce a sense of mystery
The understorey planting includes ferns – Asplenium scolopendrium, Polystichum polyblepharum and Polystichum setiferum – as well as bergenias, hellebores and brunneras, creating a rich tapestry of contrasting foliage, which in spring is studded with primroses and snowdrops, Anemone blanda and the elegant Narcissus ‘Thalia’. Structural shrubs include Choisya x dewitteana ‘Aztec Pearl’ and winter-fragrant Daphne bholua.
In late spring there are masses of Digitalis purpurea ‘Sutton’s Apricot’, but right now it is Bistorta amplexicaulis bringing rich, red colour to the display. From here, the children often cut back across the lawn to a swing suspended from the sunny pergola where their grandparents like to relax. This is surrounded by beds filled with fennel and oregano, rosemary, thyme and sage, which revel in the warmth of this sheltered spot.
Everywhere you look, it is apparent that this is a garden that has been designed to be inhabited and enjoyed. It is an extension of the house, not just visually, but practically, and the Stones can see clearly now that filling their garden with plants has brilliantly extended its possibilities.
Useful information:
Find out more about Barbara Samitier’s work at moss-studio.co.uk
