French Gardens
Period: Sep 2012 - Feb 2013
Client: Davis
Our client had renovated many villas in the area prior to this project. We had worked with them before and were given the challenge of the garden. The views to the Mediterranean were stunning and the first task was to reduce the height of the trees to open up the view. This meant felling some trees but leaving others to fill out. We were conscious not to remove too much to expose the site to the wind and elements.
The soil had largely been eroded with time as the villa was on the top of a crescent. There was a large retaining wall built in front of the swimming pool which we managed to construct a series of steps connecting the house to the pool area. The swimming pool was retiled and paved with a travertine which tied in nicely with the Bavaria stone selected for the steps. The two terraces were connected with oak sleeper steps.
The planting needed to hold up against the strong winds and dry conditions. We did bring in good quality top soil to many of the planted areas as there was very little top soil to work with. We also built a raised bed area for vegetables and as with all gardens installed a fully functioning irrigation system. A boules court was built using reclaimed railway sleepers.
