Mihály MUNKÁCSI
An inviting garden with dramatic level changes
Garden of the Year 2008 – Certificate of Special Merit

(Summary)

My clients’ house was built in a modern style using simple forms, simple lines and plenty of natural building materials. It has a very nice view over the neighbouring hills. The garden surrounding the house was a long, narrow, uninteresting strip of land that I was asked to transform into an exciting space with lots of changes in levels. The finished garden is made up of many different functional units, it is easy to walk through, but only the top and the bottom level is suitable for multifunctional use.

The dramatic changes in levels were resolved with retaining walls with natural stone cladding. Parts of the garden with important panoramic views were left clear. On the top level, where parts of the old orchard and vegetable plots were left untouched, a thatched seating area was being built as a result of being close to the kitchen. The street front fence is a concealed retaining wall with a low fence on top. It is planted up with shrubs varying in height to hide or to show. The fence on the northern side is tall to screen from the upper neighbour. The fences on the eastern and southern sides are banked up retaining walls with an attractive, low wooden top only visible from the inside.