Year-Round Interest Garden
Fife
Margaret wasn’t happy with her garden - it was mostly grass with a poorly laid-out path leading to the rear gate. She wanted a space that felt more inviting, with year-round interest, flowers, and a place to sit in the sun.
The Challenge
Transform a bland garden into a vibrant, wildlife-friendly space with minimal maintenance.
- Encourage pollinators and beneficial insects.
- Retain the plum tree, greenhouse, shed, and existing deck.
- Reduce the amount of lawn while keeping some space for the dog.
- Add subtle lighting to extend the garden’s use into the evening.
The Design Solution
During the site survey, it became clear that the top corner of the garden had the potential to be a sun trap. To maximise this, we:
- Excavated the main area and built a retaining wall, enclosing a circular sandstone patio while creating a lower planting area at the base of the wall.
- Removed the grass and extended the planting up to the deck, using a mix of perennials, shrubs, and evergreens suited to the coastal, free-draining sandy soil.
- Included hardy palm trees to provide a sense of enclosure to the new seating area.
The Result
This once plain, underwhelming space is now a vibrant, pollinator-friendly garden that looks good all year round while remaining low-maintenance.
Fun Fact:
By removing most of the grass, we’ve reduced maintenance and made the space feel much larger.
Ryan was fabulous. Everything from design planning and execution totally great. Even through the rain and bad weather they work hard. Can't recommend Musa enough.
