It used to be a 'pile of rubble', now it's the worthy winner of Ideal Home's Reader Home Best Garden award

When Rebecca and Bob bought their new home off plan - a small plot behind a four-bed new build in the Scottish Borders - they knew the small, overlooked garden wasn’t going to be ideal, but they were keen to embrace the challenge.

‘This house was the only one in the area with enough bedrooms for our family of five, so we went for it knowing that working on the garden would be our number one priority when the house was complete and we moved in,’ recalls Rebecca.

As it happened, they had plenty of time to plan their attack as the world went into lockdown shortly after they bought the house in 2020. ‘I knew what kind of plants I liked,’ says Bob, ‘but when I read a book on garden design, things really began to take shape.

We wanted a calming space where we could relax and feel surrounded by nature, with lots of scented herbs and plants that would attract insects. With flowers, I stuck to a subdued palette of blues, purples and pinks, with lavender, geraniums and clematis. I had also long wanted my own ‘man cave’ so the garden room was a must.’

What the couple hadn’t anticipated was the groundworks that would be necessary before they could get to work on the transformation. ‘The first thing I noticed when we were able to visit the house was that it was just a pile of rubble on a huge sloping garden,’ recalls Bob.

‘Fortunately, the diggers were on site, so I asked them to scrape away as much material as they could.’ The family moved into their new house in October 2021, but the rest of the groundworks couldn’t start until February 2022.

‘It’s unfortunate it was snowing at the time, but by Easter, things started to take shape and in May, Rebecca and I were able to barrow in the topsoil and lay the turf so I could focus on planting,’ says Bob.

Next on the agenda was the building work, which Bob got fully involved with, helping to construct the garden room and pergola ideas. ‘I originally wanted the pergola purely so we could hang a hammock,’ confesses Bob, ‘but it really works to designate the entertaining space.’

‘With such a high wall at the back, the garden will always feel enclosed, but we made it work for us by filling the space with plants to soften it, and make it feel more natural,’ says Rebecca. ‘The wall facing actually only comes down so far then it’s breeze blocks, so we built raised beds at the back, and put up a trellis for easy climbing plants,’ adds Bob.

‘The position of the garden room sparked a few arguments as Bob originally wanted to put his hut right in the middle of the garden,’ laughs Rebecca. In the end, they took the advice of a friend. who was a landscape gardener who insisted that the best spot would be tucked into the top corner of the garden, so it didn’t eat into the useable garden space.'

The weatherproof paint that the couple used here updates the look and condition of timber structures in the garden, while helping to improve their longevity.

'The pergola helps make the patio feel so much more private, you don’t notice you’re overlooked by neighbouring gardens. It looks great in the evening with the garden lighting ideas, too,’ says Rebecca.

'With five of us in the house, we have no spare rooms inside, but the garden has given us two extra social spaces – the garden room and an outdoor dining room,’ says Rebecca.

The lawn is bordered with beds filled with flowers herbs, many which began life in little supermarket pots. ‘Our son loves taking handfuls of chives and eating them!’ laughs Rebecca. ‘He loves the garden, and can already name dozens of flowers, from fuchsia to honeysuckle.’

‘The grass is the only high-maintenance part of the garden,’ says Bob. ‘I might occasionally have to cut things back, like the lavender, but everything else just looks after itself.’

‘I love sitting in the egg chair reading and listening to the hum of the insects, while the kids play on the grass,’ says Rebecca.

We’ve had some great parties in the garden,’ says Rebecca. ‘It’s such a lovely place to spend time, whether we’ve got loads of friends over for a barbecue, or we just want to play with the kids, or have some quiet time to ourselves. The space works for all of us and that was always the dream.’

Focus on... Pergolas

Rebecca and Bob’s pergola is a standout feature in their garden design – could it be a good choice for your outdoor space?

• SPACE MAKER By adding height and structure, a pergola can make a small space feel larger and grander. In an overlooked plot, they also create a feeling of privacy by providing a visual barrier from the neighbours.
• ENTERTAINMENT ZONE Placing your pergola over a patio or deck creates an outdoor room encouraging more frequent use of the space by making it an intimate, social spot.
• SMART STRUCTURE As well as providing shade on sunny days, the beams are a clever framework for climbing plants and pretty accessories from festoon lights and sheer curtains to hanging chairs and hammocks.
• ALL BUDGETS Depending on the design and material (usually timber, aluminium or steel), the cost of a pergola can vary dramatically. If you choose to have it professionally fitted, labour costs will push the final bill up too, however, a simple DIY timber structure can cost as little as £300 all in.