Ornamental grasses drift with the breeze, a water feature murmurs softly, and from the wooden deck, the view extends across the pool and garden toward the house and outdoor kitchen. Towering cherry laurel hedges and a generous bamboo screen shield this verdant retreat from neighboring properties. Nina Rudolph and Sabine Ullrich-Brosch of Rudolph Gartendesign created this sanctuary—pool and all—for their clients, though the decision to add a pool came relatively late in the planning process. The homeowners wanted a garden that would be both children-friendly and easy to maintain, featuring clean modern lines and predominantly white-flowering plants. Privacy screening was essential, as was a completely child-safe pool. The only constraint the landscape designers had to work around was a magnificent old linden tree, which they gracefully incorporated into their design.

"To keep maintenance minimal, we selected cream-coloured ceramic pavers for the terrace and pool deck," Nina Rudolph explains. "The anthracite concrete seating blocks beside the pool help define the slope on the right side." The garden also delivers plenty of play and planting opportunities: the lawn accommodates two small goals, while a raised bed tucked beside the house serves the children and family herbs. Snowball viburnum, panicle hydrangeas, pale green hostas, and Canadian dogwood as groundcover work together to create an airy, luminous atmosphere.

The front garden, paved with basalt cobblestones, features two four- to five-meter Japanese maples (Acer palmatum) in large powder-coated metal planters positioned above underground utilities. Delicate pink-white bloombux blooms frame the planters. A raised bed in powder-coated black steel and basalt steps bridge the grade change from the entry path to the garage drive. Subtle lighting within the multi-stemmed Japanese maple at the entrance creates an inviting welcome, even after dark. The rear garden extends this approach with warm LED uplighting that illuminates the trees and plantings, effectively bringing the living space outdoors—regardless of the hour.

www.rudolph-gartendesign.de

(Published in CUBE Frankfurt 01|24)

Photography:

Nina Rudolph