Front Garden Design in Surrey

This front garden sits on a quiet residential road in Surrey. The existing driveway had dated and needed bringing up to date, while staying in keeping with the character of the street. The client wanted somewhere to store the wheelie bins out of sight, plenty of colour through the borders and a traditional gravel driveway rather than a hard, paved surface.
The aim was a front garden that looked considered from the road and from the windows of the house, with planting that would carry colour and structure across every season rather than fading after the first flush.
The design goals included:
Modernising a tired driveway while keeping a traditional gravel finish
Discreet, bespoke storage to keep the wheelie bins out of view
Year-round colour and texture from drought-tolerant planting
A natural clay paver pathway to lead through the space
Planting that would screen the house and road from view over time
Evergreen structure to hold the garden together through winter
OB Garden Design approached this project by laying a traditional gravel driveway alongside natural clay paver pathways, with cedar-clad bespoke bin stores designed to tie in with the batten fencing. I used drought-tolerant planting throughout to bring colour and texture across the year. A standard Magnolia grandiflora will screen the front of the house and road as it matures, while a multi-stem Amelanchier brings early colour and berries in front of the windows. Evergreen hedging and clipped balls give the garden structure through the winter months. This is the first year after winter planting, and the beds are already full and lush.