Natural Garden

A natural country garden near Chiddingstone, Kent, redesigned with generous planting to create intimacy, structure and a strong sense of place.

Chiddingstone Garden Design – A Natural Garden Rooted in the Kentish Landscape

Nestled in Wellers Town, near the historic village of Chiddingstone, Kent, this garden was reimagined after its owners had spent over twenty years maintaining it themselves. While the setting and long views provided a strong foundation, the garden needed fresh energy, structure, and a renewed sense of purpose.

The brief was to create a garden with greater interest and intimacy, while responding to challenging site conditions. The soil is heavy clay, the garden is exposed to a harsh north-westerly wind, and changes in level needed to be resolved sensitively. Rather than fighting these conditions, the design leaned into them, using planting as the primary tool to shape and define the space.

Generous, sweeping borders were introduced throughout the garden, softening level changes and enclosing spaces to make them feel more sheltered and welcoming. Existing features, including a pond, were carefully integrated into the new layout, while planting was used to discreetly screen parked cars without compromising views.

The car barn was embraced as part of the composition, forming an attractive backdrop to the planting rather than something to be hidden. Former lawn banks were transformed into softly contoured slopes, planted with billowing drifts of perennials and ornamental grasses in a naturalistic style. This approach stabilises the ground, introduces movement, and ensures long seasonal interest.

The finished garden now sits comfortably within its surroundings, harmonising with the wider Kentish countryside and creating a strong sense of place. Rich in planting, layered in structure, and shaped by its environment, the garden has evolved into a landscape that feels both generous and grounded.