Our whole aesthetic for this West Sussex project was to create a design that embraced the wind while mitigating its worst excesses.
'Witterings' is an old word for the wind, so we looked at how the wind shaped plants and how the garden will be shaped by the wind, by using mounding forms. Key plants include Erigeron glaucus 'Sea Breeze', hottentot fig (Carpobrotus edulis), thrift (Armeria maritima) and seakale (Crambe maritima): all are adapted to salty air and sea breezes, and offer a long flowering period to create an extended season of colour from spring to autumn.
The hard landscaping also evokes a maritime feel, with boulders dotted alongside pathways to resemble the coastline and a windbreak made from heavy oak designed to resemble a pier. The fence leans outward from the garden towards the sea to deflect the wind and waves, and offer maximum shelter to the plants behind. Access to the beach is provided by a clever weighted drawbridge set into the fence.
