Garden Design,
East Sussex

Situated right next to the sea-defence wall at Jury's Gap this is the long narrow (50m long and 4.5m wide) garden of an old terraced coastguard's cottage which has been recently refurbished. An extra piece of scrubland at the end of the garden had been recently purchased by the residents of the terrace and added to the ends of all the gardens.

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My brief was to design a garden that fitted in a new Koto sauna and a gym the size of a sea container,  a pergola and dining area with BBQ, a covered shelter to sit out of the wind and a Hikki Sweden hot tub and outdoor shower, plus provide some privacy in garden. They also needed parking space for two cars and somewhere to store 3 wheelie bins. Quite a lot to fit into a small space!

Parts of the house and the two garden buildings feature charred timber cladding. I used similar cladding on a lean-to shelter with built-in seats which I added to the side of the gym, and also for the raised beds in the garden which raise the height of the planting and improve the privacy in the garden. One of the raised beds was built behind a large U-shaped corner bench, with a bespoke wooden table and bench to complete the dining area and a pergola over the top. Behind one of the side seat planters, which contains herbs for cooking, is a built-in BBQ, tiled-work surface and cupboard and an outdoor sink. 

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Planting had to be able to cope with salt, drought and exposure to wind, fit in the narrow borders, not encroach on the path, but also grow tall enough to provide some privacy. Not easy particularly with some of the borders being shaded by the fence, however with some careful and inventive plant selection there is now a garden of botanical wonders which will fill out 

and grow over the coming years.