This terraced house situated in the Essex estuary town of Leigh-on-Sea had an overgrown jungle of a garden. The client wanted their garden transformed into a low maintenance contemporary space with areas for entertaining. They also wanted to encourage wildlife into the garden, particularly birds and insects.

The design gives views out from the dining room to a water bowl and planting that connects the garden to the house. A large central seating area invites guests and family to spend time in the garden, with a secluded bench and fire bowl area at the back of the garden provide a cosy and sheltered place to sit with friends.

The garden is planted with a combination of native and cultivated plants to ensure a broad range of food sources for birds and insects alike, and also features seedheads which last into the autumn and winter. The bulbs provide year round interest with early crocus and snowdrops, tulips and unusual alliums adding highlights of colour and interesting forms.