My clients, a  busy professional couple wanted a sunny Mediterranean garden in their south facing property, with easy access to the gym at the end of the garden for the personal training business run from home.

When moving into their property they were faced with a garden that was full of every garden feature imaginable and lots of different materials, the over all effect was chaotic and difficult to manage, and there was no clear path from gate to gym.

My clients loved bright colours and modern art, so we wanted to create a garden that wasn’t traditional, was full of colour and had space for a few quirky objects that they had collected. A large patio for entertaining was key as was space for a garden sofa or hammock part way down the garden. Visitors would come to work out in the gym from early morning to later in the evenings, so in the winter months the path needed to be free from obstacles and well lit.

As my clients were very busy and often working away from home, I decided to avoid using lawn and that the small space was better served with good size beds and some great planting, so opted for a gravel garden effect, with stepping stones working their way down the garden through the planting.

We rebuilt the pergola outside the gym to allow the climbing rose to cover and soften the gym, and to create some shade for those sunny days. Two Pyrus Calleryana Chanticleer (ornamental pears) were planted along one boundary to help to screen the flats in the distance and give some privacy.

Budget £11,000