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Suffolk walled garden in winter

A naturalistic winter garden

Our Suffolk walled garden was designed with all seasons in mind, with the beauty of autumn and winter texture and colour celebrated.

Naturalistic planting is brought close to the house, harmoniously combining with the natural materials of the building. The design intent was to make the house and garden feel entirely interconnected, while the naturalistic planting style and selections in turn relate the garden to the wider local landscape.

The goal being to create - throughout the seasons - a unified, harmonious sense of place.

Colm Joseph Suffolk walled garden winter calamagrostis karl foerster fagus beech cylinders sculpture front garden gravel path

Colm Joseph Suffolk walled garden winter calamagrostis karl foerster fagus beech cylinders sculpture front garden gravel path timber architecture

Colm Joseph Suffolk walled garden winter colour calamagrostis fagus beech cylinders birch multi-stem modern architecture

The front garden is entirely planted with a minimalist composition of ornamental grass (Calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster’) and clipped cylinders of beech (Fagus sylvatica), with a sinuous gravel pathway through.

The expanse of tall, upright grasses with pathway through is inspired by the local reed beds along the River Alde at nearby Snape Maltings where boardwalks meander through immersive reed beds. Meanwhile, the clipped beech cylinders reference more traditional topiary associated with the garden’s historic country estate setting

Despite consisting of just two species, this planting offers really good year round interest, beautiful seasonal transitions.

Colm Joseph Suffolk walled garden winter calamagrostis fagus beech cylinders birch multi-stem old wall

Colm Joseph Suffolk walled garden winter calamagrostis karl foerster fagus beech cylinders birch multi-stem old wall

In the gravel garden, beech hedging and birch trees provide the main structure, as well as beautiful winter simplicity. The mix of grasses and seed heads of perennials, together with the dwarf pines, add great textural quality in winter months.

The tones and textures of the planting and the hard landscaping elements combine harmoniously with the timber architecture and old brick garden wall, creating an apparently simple visual unity and coherence to the whole space.

Colm Joseph Suffolk walled garden winter texture colour birch trees multi-stem seating modern design timber architecture gravel paths

Colm Joseph Suffolk walled garden winter texture colour birch trees multi-stem seating area clay pavers naturalistic planting gravel paths

Colm Joseph Suffolk walled garden winter texture colour calamagrostis brachytricha birch tree multi-stem beech hedge timber architecture

Colm Joseph Suffolk walled garden winter texture colour birch trees multi-stem seating area hay palissade furniture clay pavers old wall

The clear stems of the birch trees offer transparency at eye level, framing and filtering views through - a transparency heightened in winter by the skeletal seed heads of the grasses and perennials.

The birch trees contribute so much to the garden’s colour palette throughout the year, doing their primary design job of providing verticality and mass in the overall spatial composition while looking beautiful.