Gareth Mitchell, Founder and Lead Designer at Geko Design, explains why autumn and winter offer the perfect opportunity to rethink your garden and create an outdoor space designed around the way you live.
As the warmth of late summer slips into the crisp mornings of autumn, the conventional horticultural narrative tells us to close the garden down.
We sweep up the leaves, protect tender plants, drain the hosepipes and bid farewell to our outdoor spaces until spring.
At Geko Design, we challenge that idea of winter hibernation.
For a luxury home, the garden does not end at the back door. It should feel like a seamless extension of the way you live. That makes autumn and winter less of an ending and more of an opportunity to start again.
Over the past three issues of Luxe, we have explored a fundamental truth of modern landscape design. Many people are living in somebody else’s garden.
When we move into a new property, we instinctively redesign the interior. Yet outside, we often accept what we inherit.
That might mean a poorly positioned patio, a barbecue tucked into a dark corner or a rectangular lawn left by the developer. Then, we spend years trying to make our lives fit around someone else’s decisions.
A great garden should do something very different.
It should create an experience of space, light and texture around the way you actually live, relax and entertain.
Start with how you live
When we sit down with clients, our first meeting isn’t about paving or plants.
Instead, we look at their daily routines, interests and priorities. We focus on uncovering what we call their ‘non-negotiables’.
From there, we can begin mapping their lifestyle onto the space.
If outdoor hosting is a passion, for example, a simple barbecue might not be enough. A dedicated outdoor kitchen could incorporate a stone-clad pizza oven, charcoal Kamado oven and outdoor fridge. Everything is positioned to keep the host at the heart of the gathering.
Wellness spaces also need careful thought.
Rather than placing a hot tub exposed in the middle of a lawn, we can create a relaxation area closer to the house. Timber verandas and architectural pergolas can provide privacy and protection, helping make the space usable throughout the year.
A functional garden also needs to work for every member of the family.
That could mean secure sensory play areas for children or dedicated pathways and lawn boundaries for, as one client memorably described them, ‘silly dogs that need routine’.
Follow the sun
Light plays an enormous role in the way we experience a garden.
By mapping the solar path across a property, we can establish several seating areas designed for different moments of the day.
An eastern terrace could become the perfect spot for morning coffee. A sheltered arbour might provide somewhere to escape during the middle of the day. Then, a western deck can capture the final rays of evening sun over a glass of wine.
Rather than having one patio expected to do everything, the garden begins to move with you throughout the day.
Look at what winter reveals
Traditional winter preparation might involve clearing leaves and protecting frost-sensitive plants.
A landscape-led approach goes much deeper.
The wetter, harsher months reveal some of a garden’s most important technical characteristics. This is when we can observe how water moves through the site and identify areas where drainage or soil structure could cause problems.
Changing weather patterns also mean these considerations are becoming increasingly important.
Rather than relying on artificial, high-maintenance watering systems, we can design gardens that work more closely with nature.
Designing with water
At Geko Design, we often replace traditional hard paving with permeable gravel surfaces. This allows rainwater to naturally infiltrate the ground rather than immediately running into drainage systems.
We can also integrate Sustainable Drainage Systems, or SuDS, into the wider landscape design.
Vegetated swales use gently sloping, grass-lined channels to collect and slowly filter rainwater across a property. Instead of hiding drainage away, it can become part of the landscape.
Rain gardens offer another option. These shallow, planted basins absorb excess rainfall while creating an attractive feature within the garden.
Living roofs can also play a role.
Adding a wildflower or sedum roof to a garden room, veranda or pergola introduces another layer of planting. It can provide additional insulation while also helping the structure respond to changing temperatures throughout the year.
The result is a garden that doesn’t simply look good. It works harder too.
Why start in autumn?
High-end craftsmanship takes time.
A carefully planned outdoor sanctuary cannot be designed and built overnight. Starting the process during autumn gives us the quieter winter months to develop the design properly.
It means the concept, materials, budget and construction details can all be considered before work begins.
At Geko Design, we also believe clients shouldn’t have to rely on their imagination when making significant decisions about their outdoor space.
Instead of asking someone to interpret a flat 2D plan, we create immersive, photorealistic 3D concepts.
Clients can virtually walk through their proposed garden before a single stone is laid.
They can see how shadows could fall across a terrace, check that furniture works comfortably within the space and understand how lighting will transform the garden after dark.
It allows materials, layouts and construction costs to be considered before work starts, giving clients a much clearer picture of what they are investing in.
Create a garden around you
So, as the colder weather arrives, don’t automatically turn your back on the garden.
Step outside and look beyond the basic patio, tired boundary walls or empty lawn.
Think instead about how you actually want to live.
Perhaps you want a sanctuary for quiet reflection. Maybe it’s an immersive pool, an expansive veranda for family gatherings or an outdoor kitchen that brings the theatre of cooking into the open air.
Autumn and winter give you time to work those ideas out.
By starting with your lifestyle and designing around your priorities, an outdoor space can become far more than somewhere that simply looks pretty.
It can become a garden designed around the way you want to live.
gareth@geko-design.com
