New build garden

A Family Garden Designed for Growth, Beauty, and Everyday Living

Set on the edge of the popular Wealden village of Hawkhurst, this garden began as a true blank canvas. The house itself—formerly the showhome for the development—had already earned two Evening Standard New Homes Awards in 2021: Best Out of London Home and Best Family Home. Yet despite the architectural accolades, the outdoor space had been left largely untouched.

What greeted us was a square plot of compacted Wealden clay, poor drainage, and little structure. But it also offered something special: sweeping views across farmland to the north, and a double-aspect family room framed by glass bifolds—an irresistible opportunity to bring the garden right into the heart of the home.

The house won design awards but the garden was a blank canvas
As the build within the development continued the need for privacy increased
The west side of the garden before development, alongside the house. Viewed from the kitchen and the playroom
The design masterplan – March 2023
The addition of an awning for screening provided shelter and privacy

This project became an exercise in creating a garden that could evolve with a young family: a place to pause, to play and to celebrate the colour and warmth of family life.

Work begins on the hard landscaping to the west of the house
The children’s playhouse is divided into two rooms so that each child has their own play area
The playhouse is fronted by raised beds that the children were encouraged to plant themselves
There is a sloped path to the compost complex rather than steps, to ensure that this is accessible for a wheelbarrow
Phase 1 – the hard landscaping on the west side of the house, is complete. Autumn 2023

Key Design Principles

  • A versatile family garden with room for active play that remains visible from inside the house.
  • The awning creates shade and privacy for the terrace, and the addition of vines will bring a gentle Mediterranean feel that suits this home in the Wine Garden of England.
  • Planting designed to draw you into the garden, creating a natural transition from house to landscape.
  • A framework of trees—twelve in total—to create structure, seasonal interest, and future privacy as they mature.
  • Generous borders designed for a keen gardener, with layers of colour, texture, and wildlife-friendly planting.
  • A garden that grows with the children, with adaptable play zones that won’t dominate the vista or compromise the wider design.
Phase 2 begins: Groundworks to create the terracing on the south side of the house
The terracing was carefully designed to accommodate and reinforce a sudden and steep drop to the south.
View from the south east during Phase 2
The South West corner features a circular design
The level change meant that curved steps were needed
A sloped path leads from the planting circle to the playhouse
The walls were painted black to make them recede
The plants on the highest level are mostly white-flowered to make them stand out against the black backdrop
These plants were carefully chosen for the balance of sunlight and shade in this north-facing border
The plants on the west side are more sun-loving
The plants were laid out according to the planting plan
All the family got involved with the planting
Incorporating some of the original planting by the developers avoided waste
The west-side border is planted with woodland species in the shade of existing oak trees

The ground was carefully prepared for planting by adding layers of top soil and garden manure. The addition of organic matter will improve drainage and will help the plants become established. I wish I knew how many plants we added!

Very wet weather made the conditions for planting challenging
The workers got the job done!
What a lovely mulch!

The trampoline is made as unobtrusive as possible by positioning it within the planting and sinking it into the ground. A stepping stone path is include to allow the children access through the planting.

This quiet corner was a perfect location for the trampoline to be recessed
Eventually the void beneath the trampoline will be transformed into a pond when the children no longer use the trampoline
From the summer shed the trampoline becomes almost invisible