Foreign influence garden 3 | Oxford Garden Design

Great Dixter influence garden

Garden project: transforming the uninspiring

This Oxfordshire garden has featured on BBC Gardener's World and in the RHS magazine 'The Garden.'

This inspirational garden belongs to our very own Steve Moody and his partner Janie. It has been featured on BBC Gardener's World and in the RHS magazine 'The Garden.'

As soon as one enters Steve and his partner Janie’s garden, it obvious that this space belongs to people who are passionate about plants. The garden has a magical feel, it’s lushness and height give a sense of peace and tranquillity, all the more surreal given the unexpected setting - a quiet residential area of Abingdon, Oxfordshire.

Vision and sheer hard work

Originally the garden was very uninspiring and has been transformed thanks to Steve’s vision and talent for sheer hard work. The inspiration for Steve’s garden comes from Christopher Lloyds’ Great Dixter in East Sussex. The influence of this garden is obvious. The planting at Great Dixter also breaks ‘rules’ and conventional colour combinations.

A place to relax and enjoy

In Steve’s garden, phormiums, dahlias, crocosmias, begonias and nasturtiums are cleverly combined into a harmonious whole to surprise and delight. Just as all good garden designers know, focal points are key to drawing the eye to the next layer of the garden. There are bird baths and unusual water features, including an ingenious koi pond to attract wildlife, even a hedgehog hotel with an active nightly visitor!

Steve is modest about his remarkable achievement but there is nothing unassuming about the design of his garden. It is confident and crammed with clever planting combinations, calming water features and hidden seating areas from where the visitor can relax and enjoy this very special place.