This newly built traditional-style home in Minster, Kent, sits on the edge of arable farmland, leaving the garden exposed to strong winds and an unattractive distant view. Our clients wanted a soft, naturalistic garden that offered shelter, improved privacy and embraced the rural setting. Working from their initial sketch, Debs, our designer on this project, designed a meandering layout with generous planting, a wildlife pond, meadow areas and a dedicated kitchen garden - creating a harmonious, sheltered and nature-rich space that feels instantly at home in its countryside surroundings.

The Brief

Our clients wanted a sheltered, attractive garden that worked with the rural surroundings while screening an unsightly distant view. They provided an initial sketch showing a meandering path, wildlife pond and generous planting, and asked for these ideas to be developed into a coherent design. A productive kitchen garden with a greenhouse and potting shed was also essential, along with soft, naturalistic planting that would feel at home in the countryside setting.

Garden Elements

• Pergola & Screening

• Kitchen Garden

• Planting Schemes

• Wildflower Turf

The Challenge Ahead

The newly built garden was open to strong easterly winds and lacked structure or shelter. The exposed position made it difficult to create comfortable seating areas and highlighted an unsightly distant view. The clay loam soil required careful improvement during late-winter cultivation to avoid damaging its structure. The garden design needed to feel soft, rural and established quickly, tying together ornamental planting with productive areas.

Haywood Landscapes’ Approach

Creating Shelter & Screening

To address exposure and the unwanted view, a bespoke timber pergola with slatted screening was installed by our garden landscapers over the existing patio. This provides an attractive focal point while offering instant privacy and a sense of enclosure.

A mixed native hedge was planted to buffer the strong easterly winds and anchor the garden naturally within its countryside surroundings.

A Meandering, Multi-Directional Path

A self-binding gravel path forms the spine of the design, chosen for its soft, understated appearance yet firm, stable finish underfoot.

The path splits into two routes to reflect natural ‘desire lines’, creating a pleasing, relaxed journey through the space. All paths and borders are edged with heavy-duty steel edging for structure and low maintenance.

A Meadow & Orchard for Rural Character

To create a countryside feel, an instant meadow was created by our garden landscapers using Wildflowerturf™, linking the ornamental garden with the kitchen garden beyond.

Within the meadow, clusters of mixed dwarf fruit trees form a small orchard, adding seasonal interest and supporting biodiversity.

Productive Kitchen Garden

Positioned just beyond the meadow (so as not to compete visually with the ornamental garden), the kitchen garden houses a greenhouse and potting shed, offering practical growing space while maintaining aesthetic balance.

Soft, Informal Planting

The planting style is relaxed, predominantly herbaceous with carefully selected shrubs for structure, contrast and winter presence. The scheme complements the rural backdrop while bringing colour, movement and wildlife value throughout the seasons.

The clay loam soil was improved and prepared with care during late winter 2025 to protect soil structure. This groundwork, combined with robust plant selection, delivered impressive first-season growth. All images shown are from the garden’s very first year.

The Results

This Minster garden now blends beautifully with its traditional brick-built home and rural outlook. A once-exposed plot has become a sheltered, harmonious landscape with informal planting, wildlife-rich meadows, and a thoughtfully positioned kitchen garden.

The meandering paths encourage slow exploration, the pergola offers an intimate outdoor retreat, and the planting feels natural and established from the start. The design successfully softens the openness of the site while preserving the long countryside views that make the location so special.

Garden Design Projects in Kent

Feeling inspired?

If you’re based in Minster, Canterbury or the surrounding areas, fill out our contact form or call our garden designers on 01227 733447 to discuss how we can bring your vision to life.