Stylish outdoor spaces

The mission of landscape gardeners Selby Landscapes is to create beautifully crafted outdoor spaces that give a lifetime of pleasure. We ask Sam Selby about his experience of creating gardens in the Bath region.

Q. What are some of the issues you encounter when designing and landscaping gardens in Bath?

Designing and building gardens in Bath can often be a challenging task with its hilly terrain, tight access, and strict planning conditions on listed properties.

The slopes of Bath can often pose a challenge for us as it can be difficult to create a flat and functional garden space on steep slopes. Landscaping on hills requires careful planning and consideration of drainage and retaining walls. As we are so familiar with the area, we can help navigate these challenges and create beautiful and functional garden spaces that meet the needs of our customers while adhering to local regulations.

Q. What typical features do people ask for in their gardens?

There are certain landscaping features that are consistently popular and provide good garden solutions. Using decking on composite subframes and stone retaining walls is a particularly effective way of creating terraced gardens in Bath, as it blends in well with the local landscape, and decking has remained a popular choice for creating outdoor living spaces.

Bath is renowned for its stunning Georgian architecture and natural stone, and using stone retaining walls can help to create a seamless transition from the garden to the surrounding landscape. Similarly, composite decking is a great choice for a terraced garden as it is both durable and low-maintenance, meaning that it can withstand the often unpredictable weather in the UK while still looking great.

There has also been an increasing interest in including natural and eco-friendly elements in garden design, such as wildflower and natural gardens and plants to attract wildlife. Then there are the various hard-landscaped elements, such as stone patios, retaining walls, and pathways, which are all still popular for creating structure and visual interest in a garden.

Q. The Wildlife Trusts and Royal Horticultural Society are asking gardeners to cut their grass less regularly and embrace naturally flowering plants like daisies and dandelions. What is your perspective?

‘No Mow May’ is an easy and accessible way for individuals to contribute to conservation efforts and support biodiversity. By simply refraining from mowing their lawn for one month, people can create positive change for the environment and help to protect pollinators. Allowing wildflowers to grow in urban areas during May can help to increase the availability of food sources for pollinators, which can improve their chances of survival.

Q. How do you keep your design ideas fresh when designing gardens? What sources of inspiration do you use?

I don’t find keeping design inspiration a challenge as every garden is always so unique, and I almost always get an immediate sense of what would work best for the space when I first see a garden. The trickiest gardens tend to be those in really big open spaces.

Q. Do you sometimes have to advise people to rethink their ideas about what they want from their gardens?

There is usually a conversation with clients about what they would like as well as what is most practical in terms of building it and in order to find something that accommodates the budget. Designs will typically be scaled back to fit into a budget. We do our best to design within a budget when needed. selbylandscapes.com

Q. Is there a best time of year to create a garden, or is it possible at any time of year, weather permitting?

The best time of year to build a garden for us is obviously during the spring and summer months. But having said that we work all year round, otherwise we wouldn’t still be in business! Proper footwear, clothing and a full lunch box are three of the best ways to navigate through the onslaught of rain in the darker months.

Q. Do you like to work with small gardens?

We have worked on many small gardens, courtyards and new-build gardens. They’re fun projects to work on because they will have a quick turnaround time and you can provide a really big impact on a smaller budget.

Q. What is your own garden like and is it a refuge for you?

My ‘garden’ is only a 1 x 4m balcony but I have built storage, shelves and train planters up the walls. Solar lights and an outdoor rug set the scene to enjoy my mini garden on a summer’s evening.

Your garden room has come out of hibernation and it’s ready to be stylishly furnished and prepped for endless hours spent (in the sunshine, naturally) sitting, socialising, dining, drinking, cooking, lazing and planting. Here are some ideas...