Marcus Barnett – 15 The Avenue, Cheam
Designer Garden Focus -Marcus Barnett – The Avenue, Cheam. This is a contemporary garden designed by Marcus Barnett whose cool modernism and plantsmanship has won him three gold medals for Chelsea gardens. On a compact site of roughly one-third of an acre the design skilfully interlocks four levels and creates rooms divided by beech hedging and columns. The broad and gently rising main vista cleverly presents a picture of spaciousness which belies the garden’s overall size. The mixture of architectural and ornamental features – not least the modern outdoor room and structural planting such as the cloud-pruned box and collection of hostas, provide a strong design framework for softer touches such as the wildflower meadow. There are deliberately striking touches to both planting and ornaments, such as the group of pure-white stemmed silver birches and richly coloured bearded iris, or the fine collection of contemporary sculptures, which are all positioned to maximum effect.
