Maplewood Residence

Overview

A Shaded Garden That Finally Works for the Whole Family

The Maplewood garden sat mostly in the shadow of mature maples — mossy lawn, bare soil under the trees and beds the owners had given up on. They wanted colour without constant work, a lawn the kids could actually use, and a path that stayed dry in winter.

We reshaped the space around the trees instead of fighting them: shade-loving planting where grass would never thrive, a durable play lawn in the sunniest third, and a permeable stone path linking house to gate.

The Challenge

Dry shade is the hardest spot in any garden — tree roots drink first and light is scarce. The old lawn was compacted clay that puddled every winter, and two previous planting attempts had failed within a season.

Our Approach

We started below ground: aeration, organic matter and a root-friendly mulch ring around each tree. Then we planted only proven shade performers — hostas, ferns, hellebores and hydrangeas — in generous drifts, and rebuilt the sunny lawn on 15cm of fresh topsoil with a shade-tolerant seed mix.