Modern fusion in a country garden setup, crafted to cater to a pair of novice garden enthusiasts in the chosen nation
Robert Myers' Wildlife-Friendly Garden Transformation at Park House
In the heart of Cambridge, Robert Myers' contemporary garden design at Park House has transformed the historic estate into a vibrant, wildlife-friendly haven. The project, completed in 2020 during the first Covid lockdown, integrates modern aesthetics with ecological sensitivity, creating a harmonious blend of historic architecture and biodiversity.
The garden's main axis, a diagonal path, links the space to an elevated paved terrace, offering views over an expanse of lawn on the south side that references the original historic design. Beyond the pool house on the north side, a greenhouse and informal kitchen garden lie, while the walled garden surrounding the pool includes more perennials and grasses.
Myers' approach to garden design is grounded in contextual sensitivity, biodiversity promotion, the use of sustainable materials, and visual and ecological integration. He carefully balances modern landscape elements with historic contexts, as seen in his projects at Trinity College, Cambridge.
The Park House garden is designed to be wildlife-friendly, with a succession of flowers and grasses from spring to autumn, including tulips, alliums, euphorbias, geraniums, and more. Myers uses a combination of ornamental grasses, such as Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster' and Sesleria autumnalis, with pollen-rich perennials to increase biodiversity.
To promote ecological functions, the garden includes a wildflower meadow, hedges, trees for nesting, water to sustain various garden creatures, and climate-resilient planting to support insect populations. Many of the trees in the old orchard have been replaced with a range of apples, pears, and walnuts, and more fruit trees have been included in the pool garden.
The water tanks in the garden, made from Corten steel and with an inner black polyurea lining to prevent corrosion, almost mask the reflective water tanks in summer but become more prominent in winter, providing structure and interest.
Sharon and David Smith, the couple who inhabit the Grade II-listed house built in 1854 in the Gothic Revival style, developed a new-found passion for plants and love of nature while caring for their restored garden during Covid lockdowns. They work together to keep the garden looking good throughout the year, with some help for trimming boundary hedges and annual mowing of the meadow.
The beds are traversed by narrow gravel paths that immerse you in the planting as you travel along them. The planting beds are sandwiched between the diagonal pathway and another straight path in front of the kitchen, creating a visually appealing and functional space.
Myers aimed to create a flower-filled contemporary garden around Park House near Cambridge that supported local wildlife and was sympathetic to the historic setting. His work at Park House exemplifies best practices for integrating historic architecture and biodiversity, demonstrating that contemporary garden design can coexist harmoniously with historic contexts while enhancing natural habitats.
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