Hartley Wintney has the feel of a proper village. Its large green opens out beside the A30, the high street is lined with Georgian buildings and antique shops, and many homes are period cottages and older houses with gardens that have grown up over generations. Planting is what gives gardens like these their charm, and it is usually where a plan for a garden like this begins.
Good planting for a period house is layered and relaxed rather than rigid. Clipped hedging and a few evergreen shapes give the garden a frame through winter, while borders of perennials, roses and shrubs fill out in spring and summer. We choose plants for the soil, the light and the amount of care you can give, so a border keeps its shape without constant work. How we get the ground ready before anything goes in is set out on our garden planting page.
Many village front gardens are small and on show to everyone who passes. A simple scheme of hedging, a tidy path and a few well chosen plants by the door often does more than a busy layout. Where an old brick wall or a picket fence already marks the boundary, we plant to soften it rather than hide it.
We plan borders so something is happening in every season: bulbs and early blossom, a summer peak, seed heads and autumn colour, then the evergreen structure that carries the garden through winter. That way the garden still looks cared for in February, not just in June.
No two plans we draw here are alike. We look at how the garden sits against the house, where the sun falls through the day and how you want to use each part of the space. The plan then sets out paving, paths, planting and lighting together, so the finished garden feels as if it has always belonged to the house.
Our garden designers, together with a wider network of designers we work with, know that a period garden often needs restraint. Rather than sweeping everything away, they keep the trees, walls and hedges that give it age and plan new elements around them. Because we also build what is drawn, each idea is checked for how it will be made on site.
Trees are part of what makes this village special. On the common beyond the green stand the Mildmay oaks, planted in the early 1800s at the wish of Lady Mildmay, by tradition to grow timber for the navy after Trafalgar. Many private gardens nearby also have large, long established trees, and they need care whenever new landscaping goes in.
Most of a tree's feeding roots sit close to the surface and spread well beyond the canopy. Digging deep foundations, raising soil levels or driving heavy machinery across that area can damage roots that are hard to see. Where a path or seating area has to pass near a tree, we look at lighter methods, such as building up on the surface instead of digging down. As on our Godalming project, roots can be protected by using gravel and stepping stones in place of solid paving.
Some trees are protected, so it is wise to check with Hart District Council before any work close to them. We can talk this through with you at the design stage.
Our landscapers handle the building side of a project from start to finish: groundworks, drainage, levels, walls, steps and paving. In a village setting, materials matter. Reclaimed style brick, natural stone and gravel tend to sit more comfortably beside old buildings than bright, uniform finishes, and we help you choose surfaces that will weather well. Our landscape construction page shows how a build is run.
Evenings in a village are darker than in town, and a garden can disappear once the sun goes down. Soft, low lighting along a path, a light washing up through a tree or a lamp beside a seating area lets you use the garden later without turning it into a floodlit yard. We keep light pointed where it is needed and avoid glare and spill, which also matters for wildlife such as bats and moths. See our outdoor lighting page for the options.
Larger gardens and grounds need regular, organised care to stay in good order. Each month our dedicated maintenance team spends at least four man hours on site, long enough for hedges, borders, lawns and seasonal jobs to be done properly rather than rushed. We can take on grounds we have built and those built by another contractor.
Because the same business designs and builds gardens, our maintenance team understands how a scheme is meant to develop and looks after it with that in mind. Pumps, timers and garden lights are looked over as part of the round. Details are on our garden maintenance page, and you can find out more about water saving on our irrigation page.
Yes, with care. Ground under a big tree is usually dry and shaded, so we choose plants that cope with those conditions, plant them small so roots are disturbed as little as possible and avoid piling new soil over the root area. Bulbs, ferns and woodland perennials often do well.
Autumn to early spring is generally best for hedging, trees and shrubs, while the ground is moist and the plants are dormant. Container grown plants can go in at other times if they are watered well, and an irrigation system can help them settle.
Often, yes. We start by identifying what is worth keeping, such as good shrubs, old roses or a hedge with years of growth, then clear around them, cut back hard where plants will recover and replant the gaps. A garden can then be brought back over a season or two rather than stripped bare.
Ring the team on 07717 058646 or 01276 582095, or write to us using our contact page, and we will come out to look at your garden and quote without any obligation. We also cover nearby Hook and Fleet.
