Twickenham Front Garden and Driveway

This north-facing front garden lies en route between the Twickenham rugby ground and the station, meaning privacy from passers-by was a key priority for the clients. They also wanted a larger, smarter driveway — but one that still felt like a garden rather than a car park.

A generous amount of planting was included throughout, softening the new granite paving and giving the space real horticultural interest. Shade tolerant plants like Astrantia major, Hakonechloa macra, Dryopteris filix mas and Buxus sempervirens are mostly evergreen and provide texture and volume throughout the year. A tall grass "hedge" of Calamagrostis Karl Foerster, paired with new black railings, provides screening from the street without the bulk of a conventional hedge , while still allowing light and glimpses through. The olive tree will fill out in time and create an elegant silhouette

The driveway itself now comfortably accommodates two cars when needed, without compromising on greenery. A new step up to the front door added a final touch of elegance to the entrance.

Overgrown box hedging and topiary before Twickenham front garden redesign The front garden before its transformation, showing dense box hedging, mature topiary and a formal box-edged bed with stone urn. While characterful, the layout offered little
Hakonechloa grass and olive tree planting against red brick house, Twickenham garden by Jane Shankster Garden Design Golden hakonechloa grass spills across granite paving beneath a young olive tree, with alchemilla mollis and ferns filling the borde
Wide view of railings, olive tree and grasses, Twickenham garden by Jane Shankster Garden Design A wider view of the front garden, showing how the new black railings, olive tree and abundant grasses work together to create privacy and a garden-like
Ornamental grass hedge above black railings, Twickenham garden by Jane Shankster Garden Design Tall ornamental grasses rise above new black railings, forming a soft, informal hedge that shields the garden from passersby. An olive tree stands behind,
Front door flanked by clipped topiary and new stone step, Twickenham garden by Jane Shankster Garden Design A pair of clipped standard shrubs in dark planters flank the sage-green front door, with a new stone step adding a touch of elegance to the e
Granite paved driveway with olive tree and planting, Twickenham garden by Jane Shankster Garden Design A pale granite driveway provides smart, practical parking space for two cars, softened by an olive tree and generous planting beds along its edges
Black railings with ornamental grasses framing front door, Twickenham garden by Jane Shankster Garden Design New black railings topped with ornamental grasses frame a view towards the front door, with a neatly clipped olive tree standing sentinel be
Standard olive tree underplanted with grasses, Twickenham garden by Jane Shankster Garden Design A neatly clipped standard olive tree rises from a bed of ornamental grasses, with tall feathery grass seed heads forming a soft screen against the black
Detail of railing finials and grasses along Twickenham street, garden by Jane Shankster Garden Design A detail shot along the new black railings, their decorative ball-topped finials leading the eye down the street, with grass seed heads brushing ag
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