Play lawn, hidden bike store and a pollinator border for a busy family.
Location
Dublin
Size
7m × 14m
Year
2024
Timeline
4 weeks design, 6 weeks build
The finished garden: open lawn in the middle, planting around the edges.
Built-in seating on the new step replaces an awkward drop from the kitchen.The pollinator border: tough, tall perennials that tolerate the odd football.
The brief & the site
Two children under eight, a dog and a Victorian terrace garden with a steep step down from the kitchen. The family wanted a lawn that could take a football, but also something that looked good.
Key decisions & why
1
I kept a generous central lawn and pushed all planting to the edges, so the children have room to play without trampling beds.
2
A broad timber step with built-in seating replaces the awkward drop from the kitchen, doubling as somewhere to put drinks.
3
The pollinator border uses tough, tall perennials (echinacea, salvia, verbena) that recover from the occasional football.
