With the help of landscape designers, this large garden on a relatively steady slope was beautifully built. A patio immediately at the back of the house will be in full sun and some exotic climbers should succeed against the house wall. Like most patios formed at the foot of a slope, this one has been cut out, leaving neighbouring land relatively high. On each side retaining walls give way to steep walls of rock. These may have to be concreted into position or have a concrete wall behind, especially if the garden soil is soft or unstable. Some planting pockets could still be incorporated and these rock walls do also produce significant raised areas for planting on either side. Steps on one side lead up to the next level but most of the level change is represented by a grass bank. The circular feature bed in the centre of this bank would need a retaining wall on the house side if its soil is to be level. Planting in here should be relatively low with some plants cascading over front edges. The main lawn has also been cut into the slope so that the borders on both sides are raised. On the left, planting is on a slight bank. On the right, a low retaining wall helps to reduce the steepness of any banking.
By the time the lawn reaches the end of the garden quite a pronounced grass bank would be necessary and, once again, a flight of steps provides a safe, dry route up to a garden seat. The two flights of steps are set into their banks so that the grass spills over the end of each tread. The path which links these two flights of steps should be flush with the lawn for easy moving. At the top of the grass bank near the end of the garden is a narrow strip of level grass. This ought to be at least 450 mm (18 in) wide so that whoever does the hoeing or pruning can stand on level ground rather than perch on the edge of a slope
The circular pool and fountain is directly in line with the seat so that it appears as a focal point to anyone sitting there. Under slightly different circumstances and with some slight juggling, it might also be possible to have the pool exactly in line with the circular feature bed by the patio. In the top left-hand corner there is an area set aside for garden rubbish.
In general terms, the layout is quite simple and ideal for anyone who wants a pleasant looking garden with the minimum of maintenance. Even the cost of implementing it would not be as high as it would for some of the other smaller and more elaborate gardens, because banking has largely taken the place of walling for the changes in level.
