50-metre garden with pergola – Worcester Park

A 50-metre garden on heavy clay, drained, opened up and given a terrace and pergola at the far end.

Scope and constraints

A rear garden of about 50 metres in Worcester Park. From the house it steps down past two raised planters to a long lawn, with a shed at the far end and thin borders along both fences.

• Clay and water. The lawn held water through the winter and the ground next to the patio flooded.
• Length. Nothing drew you down the garden; the far end went unused.
• Privacy. Overlooked along both sides. The fences were sound and stayed, so the screening had to come from planting.
• Levels. The garden falls away from the house.
• The future. Space had to be kept for a garden office later, without anything built now being dug up.

Design intent and proposal

Make the whole length usable: fix the drainage first, then give the garden a clear line to the far end and a reason to go there.

• Land drainage across the lawn, taking water away from the patio and shed
• A straight run of cream porcelain stepping stones from the house steps to the far end
• At the far end, a porcelain terrace under an aluminium pergola with an adjustable louvred roof
• A new shed on a concrete base, a bay for the robot mower, and room left for a garden office
• Wider borders on both sides, edged in corten steel, planted for screening
• Garden lighting and power

The drawings

Designed by Craig Davis, BSc (Hons) Horticulture, and Eli, our in-house garden designer, who holds a BSc in design and a postgraduate diploma in garden design from the London School of Garden Design. Eli drew a site analysis and three concept layouts, so the owners could compare options, then the masterplan below, a dimensioned setting-out plan for the build and three planting sheets.

The specification on the plan: stepping stones in cream porcelain, 900 by 300 mm; terrace in cream porcelain, 900 by 600 mm, laid in a staggered pattern with a third offset and 5 mm joints; aluminium pergola 5.4 m long; corten steel edging to the borders.

What we built

Built over about four weeks in May and June 2026.

• Three land drains about 350 mm deep, lined with membrane, with perforated pipe in clean stone
• Patio area relaid to correct levels and falls
• Porcelain stepping stones set across the lawn, and the lawn made good
• Porcelain terrace on a compacted sub-base and full mortar bed
• Aluminium louvred pergola installed over the terrace
• Old shed removed, new shed on a concrete base
• Borders widened and prepared, corten steel edging, screening shrubs and underplanting
• Garden lighting and power

Planting palette

Eli drew the planting on three sheets, one for each part of the garden. Evergreens and grasses carry the screening through winter; flowering perennials run from early spring hellebores to late summer salvias. Plants for clay have to cope with wet winters and dry summers; our guide to improving clay soil explains how we prepare the beds.

The result

We had a great experience with Flourish and recommend them. Craig and his team really transformed our 50 metre long garden.

Rebecca, Google review, October 2026

We particularly valued the advice and design input.

From the same review

• Land drains under the lawn and the patio relaid to falls, to deal with the water on clay
• A covered seating area at the far end, where before there was only a shed
• Wider, planted borders on both sides for privacy, with the original fences kept
• Space kept for a garden office later

Planning a long garden of your own

In a long garden the sunniest spot is often at the far end, away from the house. Check yours with our free garden sun planner and read our garden orientation guide. Our guide to long, thin and narrow gardens covers how to break up the length, and waterlogged and flooded gardens covers drainage.

Explore further

See how our garden design service works, with fixed design fees, or read about our landscaping in Worcester Park. The services used here were design and build, patios and paths, garden features, garden lighting and garden rooms. For another large garden, see our large garden redesign in Cobham, or browse the portfolio.

This page was written with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy by Craig Davis, BSc (Hons) Horticulture.