We were commissioned to redo the landscape design of the communal areas of this residential development in Barnes, creating a high-end look for the apartments and harmonising the design to the larger environment, which includes adjacent Barnes Common. The client felt the existing landscape design executed by the main contractor looked unfinished and spare. Potential buyers thought the area looked more suited to serviced offices than an upmarket residential development they want to live in. The client brief was to soften the design and better integrate it with surrounding greenery of Barnes Common, which is a high selling point for the development.

After several site visits with both the owner and sales consultants, The Garden Builders landscaper contractors were awarded the task of uniting the apartment blocks with the common land via a cohesive Landscape garden design. We started by looked at planting that worked both locally and naturally to form the perimeters, this was critical in tying the perimeters in with the Common but also to make the site perimeters secure AND make the development stand out albeit discreetly. We chose an industry staple Prunus laurocerasus 'Rotundifolia' as the main perimeter hedge. Simply, it just worked with the surrounds and discreetly de-marked the boundaries of the development. We sourced these direct from Europe at a height taller than required so we could complete a light trim onsite to retain a reasonably natural.