The brief was very simple – to provide a setting for bird watching in relation to water. I decided to put all the design eggs in one basket by creating the biggest pond possible in the space and linking this to the landscape beyond by blurring the boundaries. A deck beyond the pond was linked to the house by a zigzag bridge. A great deal of care was taken on the pond edge to ensure its natural appearance.

The planting around the pond could be described as a beefed-up naturalism with some areas planted with a meadow seed mix. Following an RHS experiment we planted the seed in sand without grass seed (as this would arrive by itself, so the theory went). In the first year the ox eye daisies took over to stunning effect. The meadow now is more balanced and the client continues to adjust the planting each year.