A Mediterranean feeling. Made personal.

THE CHRONICLE · BY MARIE

What we started with

Georgia — Georgie in her guide — wanted a garden that felt easier to look after, with blues, purples and pinks, echinacea, blue geraniums and grasses. The large red camellia, pale-pink magnolia and mature trees mattered. We also worked with the softness and layered planting she liked at the Queen Elizabeth II Garden.

What I noticed

The garden needed a journey through it and a nook that felt properly tucked away. We explored how the paths, planting and existing screening could give it that privacy while keeping practical access. The design had to make room for two people to sit comfortably and actually enjoy being there.

The direction we developed

We developed the Mediterranean direction across the different garden views, then returned to the details: warmer materials, aromatic herbs, blue and purple flowers, grasses and places for the eye to rest. The secluded seating area became a focus. We explored the entrance, the route through the garden, the tree-side space and the view back towards the house, before showing how warm light could change the feeling after dark.

From a feeling to a plan

Her favourite plants stayed part of the discussion, including oleander and evening primrose. The guide explains the care and site checks those choices need, rather than treating every flower in a visual as a planting instruction. Before photographs and proposed visions are paired throughout, with shopping guidance, budget priorities, a three-year arc and 36 months of tasks and notes.

That is the point of the Chronicle: you can see where you are going, choose what to do first and keep recording what happens. The design gives Georgia a direction; the garden gets time to become her own version of it.

Marie · Garden Chronicles