Couple of novice gardeners embrace a blend of old and new in their innovative countryside garden layout
Robert Myers' Contemporary Garden at Park House, Cambridge
Robert Myers, a renowned landscape designer, has created a flower-filled contemporary garden at Park House near Cambridge. The garden, installed in 2020 during the first Covid lockdown, is a harmonious blend of the old and the new, respecting the historic Gothic Revival house while providing modern spaces for relaxation, entertainment, and play.
The garden's design is centred around a biodiversity-focused plant palette and incorporates water features as key elements of the landscape. Myers' Worcestershire-based practice is known for contemporary gardens set in historic landscapes, often integrating ecological sensitivity with innovative aesthetics.
In spring, the beds are filled with tulips, followed by a succession of alliums, euphorbias, and geraniums. Notable additions to the garden include Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster', Sesleria autumnalis, Veronicastrum virginicum 'Fascination', Agastache 'Blue Boa', Salvia nemorosa 'Caradonna', and Penstemon 'Raven', all chosen for their ability to support local wildlife and increase biodiversity.
The garden includes a new pool and pool house, with a walled garden surrounding it. The planting beds are sandwiched between the diagonal pathway and another straight path in front of the kitchen, providing alternative routes to the wildflower meadow and new pool and pool house. The planting almost masks the reflective water tanks in summer, but as the seasons turn, they become more prominent, providing structure and interest in winter.
The water tanks in the garden are made from Corten steel and require periodic draining and cleaning to maintain their condition. The diagonal path forms the main axis through the garden, leading to an elevated paved terrace for dining, offering views over perennial flower and grass beds and a meadow.
Many of the old orchard trees have been replaced with apples, pears, and walnuts, and more fruit trees have been added in the pool garden. A new greenhouse and informal kitchen garden for growing soft fruit and vegetables lie beyond the pool house on the north side. The garden design includes Corten-steel water tanks that reflect the sky and scudding clouds above.
The design of the outdoor space is a marriage of the old and the new, inspired by the bold glass-fronted extension and a diagonal path from the house, referencing historic routes. The main show of flowers and grasses sets the garden alight from midsummer through to autumn, providing a vibrant display that is both visually stunning and ecologically beneficial.
Sharon and David, who have maintained the garden since its installation, find it relaxing and rewarding. The garden is a testament to Myers' commitment to blending bold design with environmental sensitivity, creating a contemporary garden that is both beautiful and supportive of local wildlife.
For more information about Robert Myers' work, visit robertmyers-associates.co.uk.
[1] Information sourced from various online resources.
- The contemporary garden at Park House, designed by Robert Myers, is focused on a plant palette that boosts biodiversity, featuring plants like Calamagrostis x acutiflora, Sesleria autumnalis, and Penstemon 'Raven'.
- The garden design, a blend of old and new, includes various amenities such as a new pool, pool house, and greenhouse, all set amidst an ecco-sensitive aesthetic.
- The garden's water tanks, made from Corten steel, reflect the sky and scudding clouds and require periodic maintenance to maintain their condition.
- Sharon and David, who manage the garden, find it both relaxing and rewarding, appreciating its vibrant display of flowers and grasses that benefits local wildlife, embodying Robert Myers' philosophy of merging bold design with environmental sensitivity.
