Architectural garden on a slope, Schwelm

A property in the Bergisches Land with a height difference of over 16 meters required a lot of planning skill.



Architectural rigor meets undulating terrain: Steep planting and lawn areas alternate, a staircase of graywacke block steps leads to the highest point of the garden and ends in a seating area. The entire garden can be seen from here. Lush planting with various ornamental flowering shrubs, such as rhododendrons, hydrangeas and woodland perennials, also offers a wonderful view from the terrace by the house.



To create more space for usable areas, natural stone walls were built to enclose the grounds. This created a cozy pool area with a wooden deck.

The 1,280 m² plot on the edge of the forest (in the Bergisches Land region), which is almost unusable due to its steep slope, was to become a relaxation and adventure space for the whole family. The desire for a large pool and several easily accessible recreational areas of varying quality and size was the vision that had to be realized on a 30% slope and 12 m difference in height.



Today, the clearly architecturally structured garden invites you to relax and party, swim and chill out on different levels. The terrace by the house with a rippling pool offers space for sociable evenings with friends, a bench at "half height" serves as a focal point and from the small seating area high up on the edge of the forest you can see far into the Bergisches Land. All levels are connected to each other by stairs that are naturally located in the terrain and you can even reach the upper edge of the forest via a path and start your forest walk right away.



By carefully cutting into the slope - taking into account the existing stratum water after evaluating geological reports - it was possible to integrate a heated pool with a counter-current system and energy-saving covers into the garden in such a way that the surrounding retaining walls also serve as wind protection and heat storage.

This means you can enjoy the warmth on the wooden bench in front of it even in mountainous summers. A built-in garden shed offers space for cushions and pool equipment and serves as a coat rack for bathrobes in winter.



In order to achieve a high-quality, low-maintenance and long-lasting garden, all paths, terraces, steps and natural stone walls are made of regional graywacke. This also meant that long transportation routes could be avoided. The desired precise workmanship required intensive detailed planning down to the smallest detail. A well thought-out lighting concept also makes the garden come alive in the evening and gives it a very special atmosphere.



The existing trees and shrubs were preserved and incorporated into the design. To give the modern garden more depth, evergreen yew hedge elements structure the garden space. The carefully selected plants take the local climate into account. Due to the sheltered location, shrub peonies and camellias could be planted around the house, lavender and sage provide a fragrant scent around the pool in summer and native spring bloomers such as larkspur and wood anemones create a transition to the natural forest in the upper garden area. The intense autumn colors of various shrubs provide another highlight in the garden year.



This garden was honored with an award at the North Rhine-Westphalian LandscapeArchitecturePrize in 2012.