Coastal Garden

A sustainable coastal garden in East Preston, West Sussex, designed with distinct garden rooms, wildlife features and strong architectural structure.

East Preston Garden Design – A Coastal Garden of Distinct Garden Rooms

This garden design project near Tamarisk Way in East Preston, West Sussex, sits in a prestigious South Coast location referred to as Sandbanks of West Sussex. The clients, an older couple, presented a particularly nuanced brief and wanted a garden that offered multiple experiences and contrasting atmospheres, with clearly defined areas that could be enjoyed independently while still feeling part of a cohesive whole.

The existing garden included an old, redundant swimming pool which no longer served a purpose. Rather than removing it entirely, sustainability guided our approach. The pool was repurposed into a wildlife pond, creating a valuable ecological feature that now supports birds, amphibians, and insects while adding sound, movement, and seasonal interest to the garden.

The garden was divided into three principal zones. The rear section, positioned beyond a dramatic drystone wall with a moongate opening, was designed as a tranquil, Asian-inspired garden, offering calm enclosure and a sense of retreat. The front half of the garden was conceived as a colour-rich flower garden, full of seasonal interest and visual generosity, while transitional spaces between the two provide moments of pause and reflection.

Strong axes, lines, and vistas were used to organise the layout and give clarity to what could otherwise have become a fragmented scheme. These structural elements hold the garden together, allowing the planting to subtly shift in tone and character between areas without feeling disjointed. The drystone wall acts as a powerful architectural divider, giving each garden room its own identity, while a narrow slit opening at one end creates a carefully framed focal point aligned with a circular feature pond.

Sustainability underpinned many design decisions. Existing materials were reused where possible, soil was retained and reworked on site, and planting was selected for coastal resilience, longevity, and low intervention. The emphasis on wildlife, reduced waste, and adaptable garden rooms ensures the garden will continue to evolve gracefully over time.

Now open to visitors through the National Garden Scheme, the finished garden is richly layered, thoughtfully structured, and quietly complex, a place of beauty, meaning, and long-term stewardship.