Garden design
Wildflower border revival
A neglected side garden rebuilt as a layered, pollinator-friendly border that now flowers from March to October.
Location
Hillside Terrace
Build time
6 weeks
Garden size
140 m²
Completed
2025
The transformation,
side by side
Before
After
Project story
The brief
A long, narrow side garden had been left to nettles and bramble. The owners wanted colour from spring to autumn, something for pollinators, and a path that made the space feel intentional rather than forgotten.
What we did
We cleared and double-dug the beds, improved the heavy clay with compost and grit, and laid a gravel path through the middle. Planting was built in layers: early bulbs, a backbone of long-flowering perennials, and late grasses for winter structure.
The result
The border now flowers from March to October, needs a light cut-back twice a year, and is full of bees through summer. The path turned a leftover strip into the favourite part of the garden.
Project highlights
Clay soil improved with compost and grit
Gravel path with steel edging
Layered planting for eight months of colour
Pollinator-friendly, peat-free planting
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The design felt like ours from the first sketch. Three seasons on, the borders look better every year.
Eleanor Pena
Hillside Terrace
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