Terrace and Lawns...

In this post I wanted to explore options for gardening around the terrace, and for playing with land levels. We plan to arrange 'sunken' lawns on either side of the formal 'cocktail' lawn which runs off of the back terrace. The 'Cocktail' lawn is so called because it will be the natural area where people will spill out of the house and down from the terrace to with their cocktails at parties. Of all the lawns it will be the most highly manicured. It will be a finely cut, densely sowed lawn, mowed in boustrophedon fashion. 

Arranged down each side of this lawn (whose elevation is somewhere between the terrace and natural ground level) there will be 6 yew trees topiaried in a conical shape, in 2 sets of 3 on either side of steps leading from the cocktail lawn to the sunken lawns.  At the far end of the cocktail lawn will sit the two sphinxes, guarding the entrance to the expansive bell shaped Versailles lawn, and beyond that to the wildflower meadow and farm. Thus, as one gets farther away from the house, the landscape becomes ever less formal and ever more naturalised.

These sunken lawns will not actually be sunken, but be at natural ground level, although they will seem sunken as you go down several steps from the back terrace to get to them and you can not see the surrounding landscape because of hedging on each side.

They run down either side of the manor from the Chapel and the Carriage house, finishing on either side of the cocktail lawn. As they run passed the terrace on either side of the house, there will be tiers of retaining walls flowing down from the terrace to the lawns, which will be planted in a strict formal planting with flowers and box hedging.

The lawn on the Chapel side will serve as a croquet lawn (did someone say Pimms Vicar?). The lawn on the Carriage House side will serve as alfresco dining for a cafe if we ever have a Country Store, as well having the pool and pool house; and a pétanque pit behind the carriage house.

Above and Below: Concept photos of how either end of the 'sunken lawns' will look. Note the tiered retaining walls.

We would like the gardens around the terrace to give a lot of colour to ensure that the hedging does not become monotonous. Planting it with bulbs, such as they have done here at Harewood House, and some perennials should do nicely...

and Bowood House...

Some other good examples of raised terraces with formal lawns and tiered gardens...

I would also like the terrace balustrade to have urns on the plinths like these examples...

 

Maybe even with torches inside the plinths...

or at least candles for something special after dark...