The garden was designed for a sporty couple. The house was originally intended for weekend recreation only, but due to the pandemic it became a haven for permanent living. The slightly sloping plot of approximately 2500 m2 can be found in a cottage colony above the meander of the Vltava River. The house has a modern character that blends in with the surrounding natural environment, and inspired us to adopt the same garden concept. It was clear from the first meeting that the owners were very keen to have a generously proportioned utility garden. Therefore, it is already evident from the floor plan that we have unusually devoted valuable space to the production part of the garden and have moved it right up to the entrance of the house. In addition to the raised beds, we also designed a place for a greenhouse at the owners’ request. The vegetable garden is complemented by a storage and planting area, which the owner himself made after a carpentry course. The terrace made of larch planks is decorated with a water feature – it not only refreshes the air on hot summer days, but also serves as a cooling bath to the sauna, which is located next door in the house. A small area of manicured lawn serves the owners for walking barefoot. The additional living area is quite spacious in proportion to the landscape, conceived in a threshing floor and hidden in the pleasant shade of the trees. It is adjoined by a sown meadow community, which is enjoyed by small animals and insects and is mown only a few times a year. Among the flowers, native species (e.g. daisies, yarrows, anemones, cock’s-foot) mingle with those traditional from country gardens (daylilies, phlox, roses, peonies).
Among the tree species, there are pines, cranes, birches, limes and sycamores, in addition to the usual fruit trees. The shrub floor is represented by trees from the surrounding countryside – cedars, dogwoods, heathers, elder trees, clematis, hazel trees, while the edible ones are currants, blueberries, gooseberries, raspberries, chokecherries. The perennial beds closest to the house are composed mostly of herbs.
This garden, designed by Ferdinand Leffler and Katka Svobodová, won the highest award in the prestigious competition organised by the Association for the Establishment and Maintenance of Green Spaces – Garden of the Year 2024. The implementation was carried out by Bc. Stanislav Kral – STANDYS, which deserves a big thanks for the perfect materialization of our vision.
