Sometimes you can’t see the wood for the trees, but in this case I nearly couldn’t see the trees for the weeds! This small back garden in the centre of Oxford had been neglected for several years by previous owners, and then had to wait its turn till the house extension was completed by the new owner. Now there is a really great extension, with floor to ceiling glazed doors opening out onto the garden and as a result the garden is suddenly on display. Not a pretty sight to look onto to see a tangled mass of waist high weeds!  The brief from the client was to keep everything low maintenance, mathematical and peaceful, with the inclusion of water in some form or another, as the aquatic world played an important role in the form of diving as a hobby. At the end of the garden there will soon be a contemporary garden office installed, so part of the brief was for the view to be considered from both the house and what will be the garden office. Lastly the client was interested in having a mixture of hard surfaces, so no lawn, but a play on a variety of surfaces. To this end I designed a water feature where the water itself becomes a surface to walk through.