Three Waterfalls

The Brief

The clients wanted a garden that would support the wellbeing of their whole family while also creating somewhere they could entertain and spend time together. With four children, as well as cousins and friends living nearby, the garden needed to accommodate lively family gatherings while still providing quieter places to retreat, relax and reconnect with nature.

Water was especially important to the family, along with retaining the beautiful woodland views beyond the garden. Rather than treating the one-acre site as a single large space, I divided it into a series of connected garden rooms, each with its own character and purpose. The experience gradually changes as you move away from the house, from productive and social spaces to increasingly immersive and contemplative areas.

The Water Garden

At the heart of the project lies a dramatic naturalistic water garden, inspired by the client’s love of water and by its ability to bring movement, sound and a sense of calm into a landscape.

Three waterfalls flow through interconnected ponds, surrounded by approximately 80 tonnes of granite. At the centre sits an island with a Breeze House pavilion, creating an extraordinary place for the family to sit, entertain and feel completely immersed within the garden.

The bespoke Aquascape system was created in collaboration with Shade Water Gardens. Beneath the natural appearance is a carefully engineered circulation and wetland filtration system, designed so the technical elements remain discreet while helping to maintain clear water naturally without chemical treatment.

Large granite boulders give the waterfalls their sense of permanence, while densely layered planting softens the rockwork so the water feels as though it belongs naturally within the surrounding landscape.

Planting for Four Seasons

Planting was fundamental to the success of the garden.

The site contains very different growing conditions, from sunny and moisture-rich areas around the ponds to deep and dappled shade beneath established woodland trees. The planting therefore followed a simple principle: the right plant in the right place, while maintaining a recognisable planting language throughout the entire garden.

Repeated plants including Hakonechloa, ornamental grasses, Salvia, Siberian Iris, Himalayan birches and purple-leaved Acers help visually connect the different spaces. Texture, movement and structure were considered just as carefully as flower colour so that the garden continues to provide interest throughout all four seasons.

Around the water garden, planting becomes increasingly abundant and naturalistic, softening the scale of the granite and helping the ponds and waterfalls settle into their surroundings. In the woodland wellbeing garden, shade-loving planting creates a softer contrast against the crisp corten steel and contemporary detailing.

Existing mature trees were retained wherever possible, while additional specimen trees were introduced to give the new landscape an immediate sense of maturity and permanence.

The Finished Garden

Although the finished garden feels calm and effortless, its construction was anything but simple.

Work began during an exceptionally wet winter on heavy Surrey clay. Extensive drainage, including French drains, was required to manage surface water, while soil protection zones were established to safeguard retained mature trees and prevent unnecessary compaction.