The place

Beech House is set within the Lisburn countryside and takes its name from the mature copper beech tree that sits at the heart of the garden. The ¾-acre site enjoys long rural views and a quiet, open setting, providing the backdrop for a family home closely connected to its landscape.

The brief

The garden was designed in close collaboration with the clients, who were fully involved throughout the entire process. The brief was to create a family-friendly garden that supports everyday outdoor living, while feeling natural, relaxed, and rooted in its rural surroundings. Key aims included creating a series of usable outdoor spaces for dining, gathering, and play, and planting that would mature beautifully over time while remaining practical to maintain.

The design

The garden is structured as a series of connected outdoor rooms, linked by gently curving paths that guide movement through the space. Generous, layered planting softens the layout, while carefully positioned multi-stem specimen trees provide structure, seasonal interest, and a sense of enclosure without interrupting long views across the site.

Close to the house, paved terraces form the heart of outdoor living, providing comfortable spaces for family life and entertaining. Further into the garden, deeper planting and specimen trees create a more intimate atmosphere, with a sunken fire pit offering a sheltered place for evening gatherings.

Open lawns provide space for children to play, while sweeping borders and thoughtful tree placement define the garden’s edges and transitions. The planting palette draws inspiration from the surrounding landscape, using a mix of shrubs, perennials, and ornamental grasses to create a natural, timeless garden that will continue to evolve and mature in the years ahead.