Mursley
Simple and elegant
PROJECT OVERVIEW
This project in Mursley focused on creating a simple, elegant garden that was easy to maintain while still offering year-round interest.
Working with a sloping site and a poor-quality lawn, the aim was to develop a practical outdoor space that balanced structure with a softer planting-led approach.
PROJECT DESIGN BRIEF
- Create a low-maintenance garden
- Improve a sloping and underperforming lawn
- Introduce clear, usable outdoor spaces
- Provide a dedicated area for outdoor dining
- Enhance planting with a focus on colour and seasonal interest
- Keep the overall design simple and refined
The Challenge
The existing garden lacked structure and usability. The sloping terrain made it difficult to enjoy the space, while the lawn was in poor condition and offered little visual appeal. The design needed to resolve these issues in a straightforward way, without overcomplicating the layout or increasing maintenance demands.
OUR DESIGN APPROACH
We focused on simplicity and balance. By introducing subtle level changes and defined areas, the garden could function more effectively while still feeling open and uncluttered.
Planting was used as the primary way to bring life, colour and softness into the scheme.
KEY FEATURES
The Outcome
The finished garden is a simple but effective transformation. What was once a sloping, underperforming space is now a structured and inviting garden that is both practical and pleasing to spend time in.
With planting at its heart, the scheme delivers colour, interest and usability without adding unnecessary complexity.
Our Instagram posts
We’ve worked with Jamie on projects for around 15 years, so this one means a lot.
Good landscaping is never just about the finished garden. It’s also about how a project is handled along the way - communication, problem-solving, attention to detail and how the team works with everyone involved.
Jamie’s review really sums up the way we want J&S to work: collaboratively, professionally and with real care from start to finish.
And hopefully for many more projects to come.
Swipe to read the full review →
@editlandscapedesign
Clay soil. Sloping gardens. Changing levels. Drainage.
We come across all of them regularly around Buckinghamshire and the Chilterns.
None of them automatically make a garden “difficult”. They just need to be understood properly.
The right planting, drainage, materials and layout can turn something that initially feels like a problem into part of what makes the garden work.
Good garden design isn’t about forcing the same solution onto every space.
It starts with understanding the garden you actually have.
If your garden has a challenge you’re not sure how to work with, get in touch - we’d be happy to talk through what could be possible.
By September, you usually know your garden pretty well.
You know where everyone naturally gravitates to, where it gets too hot, which corners are ignored and whether the patio suddenly feels very small once the furniture and barbecue are out.
That makes now a really useful time to take stock.
You don’t necessarily need a completely new garden. Sometimes it’s simply about making the space work better for the way you actually live.
Save these questions and have another look at your garden while summer is still fresh in your mind.
1️⃣ Where did you naturally spend the most time?
2️⃣ Which parts of the garden barely got used?
3️⃣ Did you have enough shade and shelter?
4️⃣ Was there enough room when friends and family came over?
5️⃣ What frustrated you most?
And if next summer needs to look a little different, autumn is a very good time to start planning.
A well-designed garden takes time to plan and build, so getting started now gives you far more chance of being ready to enjoy it when the warmer weather comes back.
Thinking about changing your garden for next year? Now is a good time to start the conversation.
A garden on a slope doesn’t have to feel like a problem.
Here, the steps and gabion walls manage the change in level, while the planting softens everything around them and keeps the space feeling natural.
Practical, but still very much part of the design.
Got a garden with tricky levels? Our sloping garden blog is a good place to start - or get in touch if you’re thinking about what could work in your own space.
#GardenDesign #SlopedGarden #BuckinghamshireGardens #LandscapeDesign #GardenDetails
Autumn planting gets a big yes from us. 🌿
We’ve talked about the bulbs you can plant now for spring colour, but autumn is a great time to plant much more than that.
Trees, hedging, shrubs, perennials and grasses can all benefit from going in while the soil is still warm, temperatures are cooler and we usually start to get a little more moisture back into the ground.
That gives roots time to establish before next summer arrives, rather than asking new planting to settle in just as the hottest, driest weather begins.
After the summers we’ve had recently, that head start can make a real difference.
As always, the right choice depends on the garden itself - your soil, light, drainage, space and the look you want to create.
Swipe through for a few ideas, and save this for your autumn planting list.
#AutumnGardening #GardenDesign #GardenInspiration #PlantingIdeas #UKGardens #Landscaping #JandSScapes
What did your garden teach you this summer?
Maybe you needed more shade, a bigger seating area, better planting or simply a garden that worked a little better for the way you actually use it.
Autumn is a great time to look back at what worked, what didn’t, and start thinking about what you might want to change for next year.
Our latest blog covers everything from planting and irrigation to layout, local conditions and why now is a really good time to start planning.
And if you want to be enjoying a new garden next summer, the process starts much earlier than spring. Design, decisions, materials and build time all need to happen first.
Next summer starts now.
Link to blog in our profile ☝️
Did you spend half the summer watering your garden?
If keeping everything alive felt like a full-time job, it might be worth thinking about irrigation.
A properly planned irrigation system can take a lot of the day-to-day pressure off, delivering water where it’s needed and helping planting cope better through long, dry spells.
It’s something worth considering at the design stage too, particularly after the kind of summers we’ve been having.
If you’re planning ahead for next year, irrigation is one of those little things that can make the garden much easier to enjoy when summer comes around again.
Autumn might feel like the garden is starting to wind down, but it’s actually one of the best times to get ahead for spring.
Planting bulbs now means you can build up months of colour, from the first snowdrops and crocuses, right through to tulips, bluebells and alliums later in the season.
A little planning now can make a huge difference when the garden starts waking up again.
Save this post for your autumn planting list.
And if you’re thinking more broadly about how you want your garden to look next year, autumn is a really good time to start planning.
#AutumnGardening #SpringBulbs #GardenInspiration #GardenDesign #Landscaping #UKGardens #JandSScapes
A garden with a view.
This Aylesbury Vale garden had one very special thing going for it from the start - those panoramic views across the Chilterns.
The rest needed a little more thought.
The rear garden was steep and exposed, access at the front was tricky, and we wanted to create practical spaces without losing that sense of openness.
So rather than fighting the site, the design worked with it.
Terracing helped create level areas for lawn and seating, different spots make the most of the views, and a cedar screen gives a bit more shelter closer to the house without blocking the outlook.
The planting was chosen to cope with the exposed conditions too, and materials including Corten steel, Vande Moortel bricks and natural stone were picked to sit comfortably alongside the house.
It’s a really nice example of how the things that make a garden challenging can end up being part of what makes it special.
Swipe through to see how the design came together.
Got a garden with tricky levels? Our Sloping Garden Blog is a good place to start.
#GardenDesign #SlopedGarden #AylesburyVale #BuckinghamshireGardens #LandscapeDesign
A little party prep at a garden we know very well.
We’ve done a lot of work here over the years, including the planting, and we still come back to look after it, so it’s lovely to see just how established it’s become.
Last week the team were in giving everything a tidy-up ahead of a big party, and despite the very dry summer we’ve had, it was looking pretty good if we do say so ourselves.
For us, aftercare is part of the bigger picture. A garden doesn’t stop growing once the work is finished, and being able to come back, look after it and watch it mature is a pretty nice part of the job.
Hope the party went well! 🥂
#GardenAftercare #GardenMaintenance #GardenDesign #Buckinghamshire #Landscaping
