40-Acre Estate Near Bath

Garden and Grounds Design & Development
March 2024 – Present

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Since early 2024, I’ve led the design and care of a 40-acre private estate near Bath—guiding its gradual transformation from overgrown landscape into a structured, expressive garden. Working closely with the client, whose aesthetic is both distinctive and clear, my role is to interpret and refine their vision through planting design and best horticultural practice.

This is a long-term project, unfolding in phases. With a focus on restraint and detail, the garden seeks to frame the house and surrounding views in a way that feels purposeful but not imposed—allowing nature to speak clearly while creating spaces for reflection, entertainment, and family life.

What follows is a record of this evolving work. Two areas are shown here: the emergence of the walled garden and a new white perennial border. Each sits within a larger narrative—one of patience, decisions, and the slow articulation of beauty at scale.

Walled Garden 

Swimming pool, Pleached Hedge, Hedging, Wildflower. 

Designed in close collaboration with the client, whose background in hotel interiors and time in the U.S. shaped much of its character. The pool was built by Aquascapes, with bespoke stonework cut and finished by Phideas. A clean, architectural centrepiece, it anchors the surrounding garden with clarity and precision.

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Sourced from Chew Valley Trees, these mature, gnarled Hornbeam specimens were selected for their presence and character—chosen to make an immediate impact. They mark the quiet threshold between the formal terrace and swimming pool, and the working garden beyond: greenhouse, vegetables, compost. A living partition that anchors the structure of the space without overpowering it. 

Planting Scheme

The planting here is of a minimal theme - white subtle, seasonal, and anchored by structure. It’s the project’s most expressive gesture, and perhaps its most personal.

As head gardener, I had previously planted the raised terrace with over a hundred Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’ a nod to the clients history and time spent in Northeast America — a gesture the client loved. Building on that success, I proposed a redesign: expanding the lawn border from 90cm to 2.75m and developing a planting scheme that would deepen the seasonal intrest while staying true to the client’s desire for a consistent, tonal palette.

What followed was a careful layering of perennials, chosen for form, movement, and quiet drama—an unfolding sequence in white.