Seaside Garden in Eastbourne

Although I love seaside gardens, this one was a challenge: A three storey new town house, north-facing, just back from the shore. The amount of winter sun it receives is limited, but it gets a reasonable amount in the summer and is protected from the wind by palisade fencing all round.

All that existed was a scrubby rectangle of lawn, a timber raised bed and white gravel paths, so the owners were happy to start afresh.

The garden was too small to divide into “rooms” but I placed a pergola, at an angle, with a wooden sleeper path, curving from the terrace to a circle of slabs providing a dining area, positioned to catch the best of the sun.

Planting is limited to a palette of greeny blues, soft yellows and deep reds and once established, clematis and honeysuckle will clothe the fences and pergola.

A pretty water feature and subtle lighting, make this a garden for all the senses.