Small Garden Design & Landscaping in High Wycombe

High Wycombe

A small garden with space for everyday life

This High Wycombe garden brings together a hot tub, Millboard decking, porcelain paving, lawn, planting and a natural water feature within a compact space.

The owners wanted several ways to enjoy their garden, from outdoor dining and family time to somewhere to relax. A coordinated layout gives each activity its own place while keeping the spaces connected.

Steve and Rees design and professionally landscape gardens with these practical priorities in mind. In a smaller garden, careful planning and neatly resolved construction details help make the available space work harder.

Making room for the whole brief

The wish list included a hot tub, decking, paving, lawn, planting, a new shed and a water feature. Dividing the garden into connected areas allowed those requirements to sit comfortably together.

The changes in surface and level distinguish the spaces without separating them completely. Their relationship with the house helps make the garden convenient to use throughout the day.

Millboard decking around the hot tub

The owners chose Millboard decking for its timber-like texture and reduced maintenance requirements. It provides a defined relaxation area beside the hot tub, separate from the dining space.

Steve and Rees consider the structure, supports, fixings and finished edges alongside the board choice. A hot tub also requires specific consideration of its loaded weight, support arrangements and access for maintenance.

Surface care and suitable material selection remain important around water. Thoughtful planning helps the deck and surrounding features work together as a practical part of the garden.

A porcelain-paved dining area

A barbecue and outdoor dining area was high on the owners’ list. Positioning this space close to the kitchen makes it convenient for preparing food and entertaining.

A step down onto porcelain paving distinguishes the dining area from the hot tub and deck. Care over the levels, drainage, joints and connections between surfaces contributes to the finished result.

Steve and Rees plan these transitions alongside the wider layout, so each area has a purpose and a clear relationship with the next.

Lighting for evening enjoyment

A combination of concealed garden lighting and contemporary fittings on the house extends the enjoyment of the space after dark.

The lighting highlights the water feature, planting and hot tub area, while helping define routes and changes in level. Its placement is coordinated with the garden features to keep the appearance restrained.

Steve and Rees consider lighting during the planning stages, allowing its practical requirements to be incorporated into the landscaping work.

Planting with colour, texture and structure

The planting provides interest within the available space, balancing foliage, flowers and distinctive bark. Its position helps soften the harder surfaces and connect the different areas.

A timed irrigation system supports watering, while the choice of plants brings changing colour and form through the seasons.

The scheme includes:

Betula utilis ‘Jacquemontii’ — multistem Himalayan birch with pale bark
Prunus serrula — Tibetan cherry with distinctive peeling bark
Fatsia japonica — bold evergreen foliage
Griselinia littoralis — evergreen structure
Asplenium scolopendrium — foliage texture
Polystichum polyblepharum — evergreen fern planting
Camellia japonica ‘Sea Foam’ — white flowers and glossy foliage

Steve and Rees consider growing conditions, space for establishment and future maintenance when planning planting, as well as its appearance.

A natural water feature

The rock water feature adds another point of interest to the garden, complementing the planting and giving the compact layout an individual character.

Features like these need careful positioning so they contribute to the space without making it feel crowded. Their relationship with seating, lighting and the surrounding surfaces helps complete the scheme.

Project details

Location: High Wycombe
Completed: 2020
Materials supplier: Country Supplies
Plant supplier: Riverside Trade Nurseries

Plan your garden with Steve and Rees

If you are considering garden design and landscaping in High Wycombe, Steve and Rees can help you explore how to make more of your outdoor space.

Tell us what you want to include, how you would like to use the garden and your budget. We bring creative ideas and practical construction knowledge together, with care over the details that make the finished garden feel connected.

Discuss your garden project with Steve and Rees

Garden design: Karl Harrison.

Our approach

We believe a well-designed garden should be a pleasure to live in, thoughtfully built and made to last.

For us, good design starts with listening. We take time to understand how you want to use your garden, what matters to you and the character of your home.

We bring the same care to construction as we do to design. From the preparation beneath a patio to the finishing details around a border, each part contributes to the quality of the whole garden.

We favour materials suited to their purpose and planting that can thrive in its surroundings. We consider how your garden will mature and how much maintenance you want, creating a space you can enjoy for years to come.

Steve & Rees

Throughout the process he and his team have worked tirelessly to ensure we received the best design, consideration and implementation of our brief.

As a landscaper, he is a professional and did a brilliant job and completed when he said he would in a calm and measured way.

Steve and Rees worked hard in all weathers, to create a beautiful garden for us. I would highly recommend Karl and his team to create some magical for you, and to do it really well.

Rees came up with an imaginative design that has brought interest, variety and colour. The landscaping Steve, Rees and their team did was excellent and they were a pleasure to work with too.

Steve and his team were skilled and friendly, and the results were amazing. They were professional and always left things tidy. Would highly recommend.

Fast efficient service from a passionate professional who puts his competitors to shame. Excellent work at reasonable prices. You’d be mad not to use him.

What a professional garden landscape artist does is give you something that you would never do yourself. Highly recommended.

All the team were exceptionally professional, hardworking, polite and tidy. We are thrilled with the results and thoroughly recommend this business.

I could not have wished for better. I would recommend Rees, Steve and their team to you all. I could not fault them in any way and it was an absolute pleasure to work with them.

Very efficient team, hard workers and really nice people too! Great job with a really uniform finish on a complex-shaped deck. Neat workers, clearing up each evening, and finally leaving my garden and garage in perfect order.

From start to finish-excellent service and he has transformed my garden. I’m now in love with my garden and will be spending many happy hours out there.Before and After pictures - excellent transformation

Very professional, knowledgeable, and friendly. Great design and helpful discussions, making sure we got the best results. Would not hesitate to recommend.

Steve & Rees did an excellent job. From initial design considerations to preparation and installation. The team worked well and on time to transform our garden with Trex decking.

See how we can help you...

We adapt to the needs of every client, fluent in a combination of traditional techniques ensuring the hard landscaping works in harmony with the soft planting, garden art and style in your garden.