Contemporary Garden

A contemporary country garden in Staplefield, West Sussex, softened with bold planting and sustainable design to bring life and character to a modernised vicarage.

Staplefield Garden Design – A Contemporary Country Garden Rebalanced with Planting

This large garden in Staplefield, West Sussex surrounds a former vicarage that had undergone an extensive programme of modernisation and extension before we were appointed. While the architectural work was well resolved, the surrounding hard landscaping felt clinical, over-scaled, and disconnected from the character of the house and its setting.

The client had seen our work at a friend’s property and recognised the need for a more planting-led approach. Fortuitously, the failure of sections of hard landscaping around the swimming pool created an opportunity to rethink the paved areas, reduce the dominance of hard surfaces, and introduce much-needed softness and structure.

One of our first moves was to replace areas of sawn sandstone with a pale beige clay paver, breaking up the expanse of paving and introducing warmth and texture. Difficult grass banks expensive and impractical to maintain, were re-engineered using corten steel retainers, allowing us to replace mowing with generous, resilient perennial and grass planting that delivers volume, movement, and long seasonal interest.

Sustainability informed many of these decisions. Wherever possible, we retained and reused soil on site, reshaping levels rather than exporting material, significantly reducing waste and vehicle movements. Enlarged planting beds not only improved visual balance but also increased water absorption and soil health on this heavy Wealden clay site.

The original planting areas were too small for the scale of the property, so we introduced bold, unifying borders that now anchor the house, pool, and numerous outbuildings, including a golf studio, gym, garaging, annex, and studio, many clad in black and forming a striking backdrop to the planting.

A gravel and simple topiary garden outside the kitchen adds year-round interest, while the front garden was reworked with volumetric planting to screen the driveway and soften arrival. Now maintained with monthly visits, the garden supports wildlife, suits busy family life (including dogs and grown children), and finally feels alive, generous, and grounded in its landscape.