For almost 30 years, the gardens at Manor Farmhouse, Patney, were both a working laboratory and a showcase for Michael Balston’s work, and were widely featured in the gardening press. They were developed whilst it was his family home and provided an essential aid in learning the practicalities of garden design, planting and management.

Soil, aspect, view and micro-climates were exploited to the full. A vast range of plants were grown in a coherent layout, set to delight throughout the year. Both traditional and modern materials were used, imparting a distinct character to each area.

Designed to a firm rationale that was sympathetic to the genius of the place, the garden was an inspiration to clients, visitors and staff alike.

Patney

The East Village show garden, designed by Michael Balston and Marie-Louise Agius, and sponsored by Delancey, won a Gold Medal at the 2013 RHS Centenary Chelsea Flower Show.

Named after the first residential legacy to result from the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the East Village Garden brought the East to the West with a magnificent garden to celebrate the birth of London’s newest neighbourhood.

Taking inspiration directly from the history, form and ethos of East Village, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and the surrounding Lea Valley area, it celebrated the creation and delivery of London’s ‘Legacy Promise’– a neighbourhood which offers the best of city living but with the luxury of vast amounts of open space and spacious private balconies for all its residents.

The garden had an urban feel, characterised by materials including timber, glass and steel which resonated with the contemporary design and construction of the East Village neighbourhood. It was surrounded by an abstract ‘urban wall’ to create the sense of a city. However, the garden was also heavily plant orientated, filled with drifts of herbaceous plants, shrub borders and mature trees. This created the juxtaposition of ‘urban’ and ‘green’, which reflected the ethos of London’s newest neighbourhood.

It was based around a series of leaf shaped areas including lawns, a body of water and planting beds through which ran a long, sinuous path. The form not only reflected the curvaceous private and public gardens in East Village but on a wider scale, referenced the new landscape of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park with its long winding river, meandering banks, wetlands, paths and the curving architecture of the Stadium, Velodrome and Aquatics Centre.

At the rear of the garden was a curved seat within a rising glass back. Contemporary in material and form, it echoed the enclosed vertical glass balconies that are attached to many of the apartments in East Village.

Along the long side was located a chevron shaped deck that extended into the garden giving visitors the impression of being in the garden. Using a glass balustrade, steel uprights and a curved timber roof, the balconies were reminiscent of those at East Village.

RHS Chelsea Flower Show, 2013

After the extensive and varied garden at Manor Farmhouse, Patney, Michael’s garden at Alton Barnes brings the challenge of the small space (less than half an acre) and the desire to include a wide range of interesting plants.

It also went through the unexpected evolution of fitting in a wedding with consequent moving of mature pleached limes and much brick-laying. The development of the garden continues with each passing season.

Landscaping

Digging

Maslens

This project is a superb example of the house and landscape being developed hand in hand to achieve a well integrated overall scheme. The house sits three quarters of the way up the site in an elevated position with commanding south facing views over the landscape in front, with an established woodland boundary to the west.

The scheme is diverse in content with formal water gardens, a large and informal natural lake in a parkland setting, an historical Victorian swimming pool within a woodland setting, as well as an outdoor swimming pool for family use. The walled garden is fully productive with a glasshouse that has temperature zones for a variety of growing opportunities.The tennis court has a wooden pergola structure, covered in roses, thereby becoming more of a designed architectural feature as opposed to a standard sports pitch.

The landscape is horticulturally varied, with the more formal, intensively planted areas around the house becoming more natural and relaxed in style as you move into the wider landscape.

Berkshire House

Related Projects

Patney

RHS Chelsea Flower Show, 2013

Maslens