Viv Yates turned to Joyce when she wanted a makeover for the tired and unruly garden at her home.

“I wanted a terraced area where I could sit and there was scope for the garden to lead down to the bridge and the river area in a more natural way,” she said.

The garden was vulnerable to flooding, so German-engineered flood barriers had been installed, but areas of the garden were still prone to flooding when the river was high. 

Joyce created a design that reclaimed an uninspiring area of tired planting and created a new patio, right by the water’s edge. She and her landscape team came up with the idea of Gabion baskets, filled with stones and anchored into the silt and mud to protect the garden from flooding.

Now, Viv can sit and watch the wildlife that enjoys the island and the river inlet, including muntjac deer, foxes, badgers and ducks.

Viv added: “There’s an otter in the river nearby, but I’ve not seen that yet.”

Oak sleepers were used to create raised beds for a variety of plants and they can also be used as impromptu seating.

A riven finish was chosen for the sandstone paving. This is when the paving has a natural, rustic look and it’s perfectly in keeping with this heritage cottage and its charming garden.

Viv loves spending time in her beautifully designed garden and enjoyed the process of working with Joyce: “We went together to the local nurseries where I could be involved in choosing plants with the benefit of Joyce’s knowledge and experience of what was best for the sun and shady spots in my garden. It’s just a lovely place to spend time now.”