Garden Tour: A Cleverly Designed Sloping Garden in Cheddar Gorge
This lovely retreat on a steep plot has it all – including a sunken hot tub
“We do get a lot of people stopping and looking,” designer Abigail Hazell says of this unusual garden, which is in Cheddar Gorge – and I mean slap bang in the middle of it: this super-steep space looks directly onto a limestone rock face. “The garden is basically part of the gorge,” Abigail says. “The views are incredible.”
It’s no wonder passers-by want to peek in when a garden is as beautiful as this one. Attached to a period cottage, it’s been a labour of love for Abigail. “The owner works in the fast-paced luxury fashion industry, so this garden is her retreat,” she says.
The result is something truly special – a modern cottage garden that features crumbling walls, multiple levels, gorgeous bendy grasses, and, its star turn, a sunken hot tub.
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It’s no wonder passers-by want to peek in when a garden is as beautiful as this one. Attached to a period cottage, it’s been a labour of love for Abigail. “The owner works in the fast-paced luxury fashion industry, so this garden is her retreat,” she says.
The result is something truly special – a modern cottage garden that features crumbling walls, multiple levels, gorgeous bendy grasses, and, its star turn, a sunken hot tub.
This article is from our Most Popular stories file
“It took a bit of time to figure out the landscape, as the space was so overgrown,” Abigail says. “When we started digging down, there was just rubble from where the previous owners had built an extension and dumped stuff.
“We worked with the existing slope and set new levels in order to create a better relationship with the house and a better flow,” she adds.
“We worked with the existing slope and set new levels in order to create a better relationship with the house and a better flow,” she adds.
“My main brief was to create a garden that looked stunning, was relatively easy to maintain, and fitted in with the landscape,” Abigail says. “The owner also wanted something quite contemporary.”
The ornamental Bath stone fireplace was made bespoke for the garden to add to a sense of romantic ruins, aided by the ‘Etoile de Hollande’ roses that will trail up and around it. The crumbling wall nearby is original to the house.
On the boundary wall behind the hot tub and fireplace are framed panels of evergreen jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides). “It produces fragrant little white star flowers in the summer,” Abigail says.
Other planting in this area includes a multi-stem Cornus kousa tree. “It gives stunning white flowers in late spring and good autumn colour,” Abigail says.
A Malus ‘Everest’ (crab apple) tree, which has pink blossom in spring, sits above the fireplace and screens off the neighbour’s shed. Also here is Viburnum plicatum ‘Kilimanjaro’, for spring flowers and autumn colour.
The ornamental Bath stone fireplace was made bespoke for the garden to add to a sense of romantic ruins, aided by the ‘Etoile de Hollande’ roses that will trail up and around it. The crumbling wall nearby is original to the house.
On the boundary wall behind the hot tub and fireplace are framed panels of evergreen jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides). “It produces fragrant little white star flowers in the summer,” Abigail says.
Other planting in this area includes a multi-stem Cornus kousa tree. “It gives stunning white flowers in late spring and good autumn colour,” Abigail says.
A Malus ‘Everest’ (crab apple) tree, which has pink blossom in spring, sits above the fireplace and screens off the neighbour’s shed. Also here is Viburnum plicatum ‘Kilimanjaro’, for spring flowers and autumn colour.
Access to the garden was tricky, with no vehicle route or room for a skip, as this before photo shows. So Abigail tried to recycle as much as she could.
“We wanted to keep as much on site as possible – we couldn’t just get rid of tons of soil or stone,” she says.
“We wanted to keep as much on site as possible – we couldn’t just get rid of tons of soil or stone,” she says.
“We used stone from the site for all the new walls, and also placed it decoratively around to keep the feel of the gorge,” Abigail explains.
The garden’s side boundaries feature beech hedging, which is 2m high. “This looks very natural and keeps its leaves for privacy in winter,” Abigail says.
The garden’s side boundaries feature beech hedging, which is 2m high. “This looks very natural and keeps its leaves for privacy in winter,” Abigail says.
The garden was only planted last year, so it’s still developing – eventually all the gaps between the paving stones will be filled by the Pratia pedunculata ‘Alba’. The purple spikes in the foreground are Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’.
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Find great garden designers and landscaping professionals on Houzz.
This garden is all about striking a balance between modern style and olde worlde charm. “It’s trying to get a contemporary edge while keeping that softness,” Abigail says. “It’s a contemporary cottage garden really, but without being too intense or too blousy. We also wanted a cool palette, with whites and blues.
“All the plants are long flowering, so go all summer,” she adds. These include the raspberry coloured Penstemon ‘Blackbird’; the upright white Liatris spicata ‘Alba’; the softly billowing Gaura lindheimeri Karalee White, and Dianthus carthusianorum, which is like wild Cheddar pinks.
“All the plants are long flowering, so go all summer,” she adds. These include the raspberry coloured Penstemon ‘Blackbird’; the upright white Liatris spicata ‘Alba’; the softly billowing Gaura lindheimeri Karalee White, and Dianthus carthusianorum, which is like wild Cheddar pinks.
The one thing the owner knew she wanted from the start was a luxurious hot tub. The sunken structure is 1.4m deep. “We dug down, and it’s sitting on a concrete pad,” Abigail says.
“It’s somewhere to switch off and really feel as if you’re immersed in nature,” the designer adds.
The thistles around the edge are Cirsium rivulare ‘Atropurpureum’ – a stronge, vibrant red variety.
The thistles around the edge are Cirsium rivulare ‘Atropurpureum’ – a stronge, vibrant red variety.
In this picture, you can see what Abigail means when she says “you really are sitting in a ravine”.
The top of an old Medlar tree peeks out from the level below the tub, offering some welcome privacy. “This tree was the only thing we kept in the garden,” Abigail says. “It was up to its neck in rubble when we started the project, but it’s survived. Now it’s stunning, especially when it goes into blossom.”
The top of an old Medlar tree peeks out from the level below the tub, offering some welcome privacy. “This tree was the only thing we kept in the garden,” Abigail says. “It was up to its neck in rubble when we started the project, but it’s survived. Now it’s stunning, especially when it goes into blossom.”
Built-in benches offer plenty of places to perch and relax. “The seating has been positioned to maximise the views, and every angle both in and out of the garden,” Abigail says.
The decking and seating are made of the hard-wearing hardwood ipe. “We chose it firstly because it’s a beautiful wood, but also because Cheddar can get quite damp [and ipe is naturally resistant to rot] – though this garden is south-facing, so it does get quite a lot of sun,” Abigail says.
The decking and seating are made of the hard-wearing hardwood ipe. “We chose it firstly because it’s a beautiful wood, but also because Cheddar can get quite damp [and ipe is naturally resistant to rot] – though this garden is south-facing, so it does get quite a lot of sun,” Abigail says.
Soft, swaying grasses were a key component in the scheme. “There’s a relaxing movement to the planting in the garden that was deliberate,” Abigail says. “It’s designed to give the sound of rustling grasslands.”
The ornamental grasses, which keep some structure over winter as well as providing movement throughout the garden, include: Molinia caerulea ‘Heidebraut’; Panicum virgatum ‘Northwind’, which provides good autumn colour; Sesleria autumnalis, and Calamagrostis × acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’, which is an upright, architectural grass planted in drifts among the meadow.
The ornamental grasses, which keep some structure over winter as well as providing movement throughout the garden, include: Molinia caerulea ‘Heidebraut’; Panicum virgatum ‘Northwind’, which provides good autumn colour; Sesleria autumnalis, and Calamagrostis × acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’, which is an upright, architectural grass planted in drifts among the meadow.
The garden is lit up at night. “It changes the mood, softly uplighting the trees and planting,” Abigail says.
Wild meadow turf was laid at the bottom of the slope. In the future, it will be filled with flowers. The circular swing is another place to relax.
This plan shows the new layout of the garden, with the hot tub on the middle terrace and the wild meadow planting at the bottom of the plot.
Big planters and pots, filled with soft shield ferns (Polystichum setiferum) and bulbs, are another feature of his garden. “We used natural clay planters,” Abigail says.
The rear of the garden, at the bottom of the slope, has a new wall, built using stone from the site. “Above the stone wall, woven oak fencing adds additional screening from the passing tourists,” Abigail says.
Above the fencing is a row of pleached Pyrus calleryana ‘Chanticleer’ (ornamental pear trees) trained on a frame. “These provide stunning spring blossom and fresh green foliage, as well as autumn colour,” she says.
Woven oak fencing, Quercus.
Above the fencing is a row of pleached Pyrus calleryana ‘Chanticleer’ (ornamental pear trees) trained on a frame. “These provide stunning spring blossom and fresh green foliage, as well as autumn colour,” she says.
Woven oak fencing, Quercus.
“Generally, the planting in this garden is naturalistic, providing interest all year round and designed to integrate with the dramatic landscape of Cheddar Gorge,” Abigail says.
“I used a large range of bulbs to help extend the flowering season, but all the flowering plants in the garden have been chosen for their long season,” she says.
“I used a large range of bulbs to help extend the flowering season, but all the flowering plants in the garden have been chosen for their long season,” she says.
“This was a complicated garden,” Abigail says, “but it’s also something I’m really proud of, and I’m really excited to see it mature.”
Tell us…
What do you think of this steep cottage garden? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
Tell us…
What do you think of this steep cottage garden? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
Who lives here? A fashion industry professional
Location Cheddar Gorge, Somerset
Property An old, three-bedroom cottage with a contemporary extension
Garden dimensions 27 x 14m, plus balconies and terraces
Designer Abigail Hazell of Abigail Hazell Landscape & Garden Design
Everything in this garden is natural. “We took inspiration from the local flora – evergreen ferns, Cheddar pinks – and used similar plants,” Abigail says.
A steep incline meant some clever landscaping was in order. “It was really challenging – and planning in Cheddar is delicate, as you can imagine,” she says.
The sun terrace sits on a Corten steel platform. “Already orange and rusted, this was inspired by farm gates in the area. It allowed us to achieve the incremental increase in slopes without the need for wider walls,” Abigail explains.