This is the final design drawing for the garden, which was basically how it was implemented to begin with, although later on the caravan was removed. More recently the greenhouse was given to friend & a garden created on the plot instead for Holly to grow her own plants in. The first area that we looked at was the nearest to the back door & we felt likely to be the least compacted as cars could not have been parked upon it.

 We looked at the natural flows in & out of the area & created a figure-of-eight route for Holly to enjoy running around. Three routes led to the playhouse (multiple supply!) & we tucked it back into the border to give it a feel of being enclosed on three sides. Turf is used for the roof to help it to blend in & to experiment with this method on a small scale before trying it out on something bigger! This was the main area in which we felt able to plant trees (where vehicles weren't going to need future access!) & so five dwarfing apple trees find their home here. The apple nearest the hedge & the Amelanchier next to it were planted both for fruit & to provide privacy along a line of sight between the back door & a house further down the road. The other four trees were effectively central elements for the new beds we had made which were going to provide the main growing area for food in the garden (protected on a day to day basis from the chickens).

 We planted up these beds with perennial vegetables such as Good king henry & Perennial spinach, deep rooting plants such as Lovage & Parsnip, climbers such as Runner beans to grow up the trees & other good companion plants to create beneficial guilds. We then filled in the gaps in the beds with good ground cover plants, such as Strawberries & Violets, which in time would cover any bare soil left there. Medium sized stones are used to edge the beds as they are a resource dug out of the ground whilst making them. Stepping stones make the path more friendly for bare feet, while maintaining most of the gravel that is already there.

 The existing shrubs along the south side of the area should recover & provide some summer shade for salads that would quickly bolt in full sun. The Comfrey & Tansy were planted out in front of the tree stumps, in case they needed to be strong to compete there. This also meant that they could only spread out in one direction, where the path would ultimately keep them in check. The area immediately outside the door was going to be ideal for pots of plants that would tolerate a lot of shade against the wall & herbs used regularly in the kitchen on the sunnier side. A bench here would get morning sun, but be cooler later in the day when summer heat can get too much.

 This area of the garden between the cottage & the shed we designed as a small play lawn. It was already surrounded on three sides & so the addition of a hedge along the north side created a room like feel. The hedge provides additional privacy, a hen barrier, food, scent & colour. The pergola that I built there also adds to the room like quality & provides vertical growing space as well as a frame for a swing (a children's play element) to hang from. The Buerre Hardy pear tree provided a central element around which a circular bed was planted up with companion herbs. The south fence was planted with shade tolerant species beneath that would still grow in this difficult area which is also in a rain shadow.

 The rotary washing line was removed from the dead space & a conservatory built there instead, with a connecting pair of french doors being put into the wall to allow access from the kitchen. The conservatory makes good use of the space by collecting the sunlight above the fence & trapping the heat generated just below it's roof surface. Having now built it I know that it worked well. This provides a lovely space to enjoy early spring & late autumn sun, to eat & to look out over views of the garden when it is too cold to actually be outside. It is also a good growing space for bringing on seedlings in the spring, growing tender plants through the summer & housing vulnerable ones in pots from outside during the cold winter months. The new conservatory also enclosed the old outside toilet (that didn't work anyway) which was gutted & converted into a pantry. The small triangular gap between the conservatory & the fence gets extra light reflected from the conservatory glass & provides a very sheltered growing space accessed through the opening windows.

 The shed is already on site, but can be utilised in several different ways. The chickens can have a corner of it converted into an area for them, with their own little door direct to the outside installed. The remainder of the shed becomes good storage for bikes & Holly's outdoor toys. Three recycled fence panels create a small 'chicken corral' that can be used to give the hens exercise without giving them free rein of the garden when that is necessary. Leaf mould can be put in this area for the chickens to scratch about in & fertilise, creating eventually an excellent compost for the garden beds.

 Behind the shed is the roof water catchment & plant food brewing butts, with lockable lids for safety. Against the fence Holly has a little ladder, so that she can look over the fence & talk to her friends next door. The area in front of the shed door is concreted over & so this is a good place for Holly's sandpit, where the sand won't vanish into the gravel! The plants in the area need to be mostly climbers. A vigorous male Kiwi will provide fertilisation for the females on the east fence & also cooling leafy shade for the roof of the shed, which will in turn encourage the Kiwi with its reflected heat.

 A Vine, a Honeysuckle & a Passiflora were growing over from next door & would be trained further along the garage wall over our side of the fence. A further Passiflora would be planted on our side, as the other plants were still subject to the whims of the neighbours & may not always be there. This corner would also be a good little tree nursery as they could be grown in pots on the concrete & be easily kept an eye upon whenever regular visits were made to the shed or the garage. The garage itself was utilised for storage of tools & wood for keeping the house woodburner fed during the winter months.

 The top part of the garden is centred around the Mulberry tree that we planted. In time this would be moderately big & provide shade to the lawn behind it on hot sunny days & to the greenhouse later in the afternoon to reduce the risk of overheating. It will also provide delicious fruit & is traditionally guilded with a vine (but only once the tree has become quite well established). The spiral provides a variety of microclimates for plants & uses waste materials in its construction. It also provides height in the garden & is in line with the pathway walking up from the house, breaking up the view of the caravan from there. The caravan is sited here as it is a movable element making good use of the 'driveway' in front of the garage. It is another play space for Holly to enjoy & stores more of her toys! Pots of plants sit in front of the caravan hiding the view underneath it.

 The pond is made utilising an old bath & set into a bed & rockery area which is based upon a pile of stones dug out of the ground, but too small to be bed edging. The pond provides new habitats for wildlife & plants in the garden (it overflows into a bog garden area) & this can help with Holly's learning in the garden too. It is also a place for the chickens & wild birds to drink from & bathe; a shallow end makes this easier. The rockery is planted out with plants strong enough to look after themselves against chickens (& this is an ongoing experiment!). The rocks providing some protection to the plants' roots against their inevitable scratching habit. The gravel paths are replaced with woodchip, which provides an area for the chickens to forage & ultimately can be used as compost on the beds again, replacing it with fresh woodchip. The rest of the area is put down to play lawn, this being the simplest & most reversible way of dealing with the 'future driveway' issue. Though it has to be said, I have probably made the most of encroaching on this space!

 The south-facing fence at the top of the garden provided an excellent growing spot for more tender plants & so we designed in a couple of vines to be trained up it. A chance discovery of a book on growing grapes in Britain told me about the author's own experiences in her garden a few miles down the road, so I knew which varieties to try first! The beech tree just overhung this area, but there was still plenty of light to the south to plant a couple of cherry trees against the fence in either corner. The one we planted for Robert Hart is the one in the north west corner. The washing line was much better off here where it got more sun & wind & only occupied that difficult space where a vehicle might one day need to traverse (it could be lifted out). The fence panels that covered the old driveway entrance were designed to be opened, but only if they had to be. We used them to grow tomatoes (& garlic & Tagetes companions) up against, in a trough that I once again made from waste wood.

 The greenhouse sits out of the way of the 'driveway' & has been partly sited here again out a lack of other options. It is still a sunny part of the garden, just as long as the hedging to the east doesn't get too high & block the morning sun. It provides another space to grow on tender plants in the summer (tomatoes, cucumbers, melons!) & to propagate seedlings in the spring; particularly important during the first year & until the conservatory is built. A Black Hamburg vine is planted just outside the greenhouse & trained inside (they need to have their roots exposed to frost each winter to fruit well). A water butt collects the roof run off for watering the plants inside. The greenhouse is ringed with a rustic safety barrier (to stop children running into the glass) & outside this is a row of planted up concrete pots (bollards!) to reinforce the defences.

 Behind the greenhouse & along the east fence are trained two female Kiwi plants. The compost bins are placed in the furthest corner from the cottage, to deal with the problem of flies & to site it where the compost was most likely to end up being used (the greenhouse). This is another 'dead' corner & no other site lent itself to this purpose after using our own exclusion method (i.e avoid all the good planting spots!). The log steps provide access to & from the main growing area & a direct route from the cottage to the greenhouse via a gate in the chicken fence. The area of gravel nearest to the road is quite steep & shaded, so is best for vehicle parking (there is no room on the road being on a blind corner). It is as easy to provide space for two vehicles as one here as it is only really practical to park facing up or down the slope.

 Overall, the design places the fixed elements within the design (beds, structures & trees), whilst leaving some of the more movable ones (plants!) to be more flexible. Each new site provides different challenges & whilst previous experiences can help me to place plants initially, they don't always remain there. One thing is certain though, there is always more to observe & learn!

 The ways that I have applied this Final Design are to be found on the Implementation page.