The planners at Wragge Gärten created a garden for these customers around 39 years ago. It is right next door. As both the house and the garden became too big for their needs as they got older, they built a new house on the smaller plot. Naturally, they wanted the garden to be as beautiful as the old one. The owners wanted planting that would provide a habitat for birds, insects and small mammals and be easy to maintain with irrigation and an automatic mower. There should always be something in bloom and the planting should be beautiful in every season. They also wanted a water feature made of shell limestone and the path to the house to lead through the greenery. Barrier-free access was a challenge. As the house was built as a timber frame construction, the garden planners worked with high façade gutters.

As a high quality of stay is essential for the residents in the garden, the garden experts from Wragge created sheltered spaces in various areas. "Lots of greenery is good for the soul and the eye," they say. So they usually create the spaces with hedges, shrubs or even tall grasses. Thoughtfully placed trees screen off the neighboring buildings. The soil was improved with regionally produced compost and substrates. Maximum planting areas and minimal paving and lawn areas give the garden a lively and lush appearance. Concrete paving with a shell limestone look was used throughout for the paving, while blasted, polygonal shell limestone slabs were used for the treads and steps. The spring stone with its trough, in which drinking and bathing water for animals remains, consists of a shell limestone block with naturally eroded surfaces. Irrigation can be controlled manually to avoid wasting the resource. The lighting has been deliberately kept to a minimum in order to minimize spill light. In addition to a source stone light, there are only bollard lights for the garden paths. 

The lushness and diversity of the garden contrasts with the straightforward and clear architecture of the house. In this way, the special features of the garden and the building come to the fore and the entire complex takes on a lively and homely character. This invigorating contrast would not have been achieved with a very puristically designed garden. 

www.wragge-gaerten.de

Photos: 

Patrik Graf

www.patrikgraf.com

(Published in CUBE Stuttgart 01|23)