Wheelchair Friendly Garden Design
Bel was contacted by the owners of this property back in 2020 when they were planning a major renovation of this property in Loughborough. One of the clients is a wheelchair user and to make the property easier to access and use day to day, the property would undergo a significant overhaul in 2021. The existing garden to the rear of the property was predominantly lawned, with a simple pathway of paving along the rear elevation of the house. This meant that the client could only use a very small proportion of the space as the lawn was inaccessible in a wheelchair.
So as part of the over all works, the clients chose to include the garden and called in Bel to design a space which needed to serve many purposes. Firstly the space had to be fully wheelchair friendly - the client wanted to access every area. The new layout also had to include a Garden Studio, covered Pergola, Kitchen Garden, Greenhouse and planting areas. All of these elements needed to be connected by a level pathway to allow access.
Taking inspiration from the 'Horatio's Garden' at the spinal injury unit in Salisbury, Bel designed a Courtyard Area with a circular pathway connecting the rear of the house with the Garden Studio and Pergola. The circular pathway also provided the client with his very own exercise circuit! Sculptural lines of timber set within the planting beds, reference the curve of a spine, snacking through the garden. At the centre of the circular pathway lies an area of Wildflower Meadow to soften the many hard lines of the structures in the space.
A metal archway leads through from the Courtyard area to the Kitchen Garden. The position of the raised beds, greenhouse, cold frames and compost bins were designed in such away as to allow for easy movement around the space and the Bespoke Greenhouse was built with a level threshold for ease of passage. The height of the raised beds allows for arm level tending of the crops and offers a 'no - dig' option. New fencing was installed around the plot replacing the tired wire fencing dating back decades.
Before Transformation
Before Transformation
Before Transformation
Landscaped and planted in the Winter of 2021-22 as planned, the project was finished on time despite the property renovations running over significantly. The planting will take time to fill out and green up the space, softening the hard landscaping and structures. We look forward to seeing this garden develop and the clients make full use of their newly designed space.
Our clients are really please with the design and transformation…
"At every stage of the design process we were supported by Bel. An excellent plantswoman with an eye for detail we have been lead through a complicated renovation and at each stage Bel has made suggestions from her experience about who to deal with and how to get the job done. As a wheelchair user she was sympathetic to our requirements and how we would best be able to move around and use the garden. The project took well over a year to plan and execute but great things do not happen overnight and this has turned out to be a great garden. Thank you, Bel."