Sanctuary Retreat, Blairgowrie

We transformed an awkward shaped and split level garden of a recently converted old girls school into a curvaceous garden that connected with the small studio apartment and complimented the building.

The garden served as the main entrance to the house, the main view from within as well as the garden space for relaxing, so it needed to work hard and year-round.

Using strong curves, we created flow between the two garden areas, integrated the existing terrace and masked the awkward shape of the garden. Raised, brick planters of varying heights linked with gravel paths added interest and raised the soil levels for generous planting over the remains of the disintegrated sub-base from the old school playground.

We created a planting scheme that offered visual interest from the large glazed windows and doors of the house. Combining multi-stem trees and structural shrubs with rich herbaceous planting, our scheme offered seasonal highlights that lasted long into the winter.

Within the gravel, low creeping plants all suitable for the conditions softened the stones and rocks.

Black planters, furniture and elements in the garden picked up the details on the building, whilst the metal lattice sculptures nestled within the planting offered additional structure and interest.