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Rachel Platt Garden Design reshaped an underused South Buckinghamshire garden around an unheated natural swimming pool and wildlife-friendly planting. The project also preserves existing ponds and plants, adds food-growing space and creates a gradual link to the surrounding fields.
Designer Rachel Platt has turned an underused garden in South Buckinghamshire into a nature-focused outdoor space centered on an unheated natural swimming pool, with areas for growing food, entertaining and supporting wildlife. The project responds to the owners’ brief for a garden connected to the nearby fields and hedgerows, while bringing swimming and outdoor life closer to home.
According to Homes and Gardens’ report, the clients work in the veterinary sector and previously drove elsewhere to swim in rivers, spending relatively little time in their own garden. They wanted a landscape that could serve as a wildlife habitat and personal retreat, while accommodating swimming, food growing and family gatherings. Rachel Platt Garden Design worked with Ellicar Natural Pools on the pool.
The pool has two parts: a clear swim zone and a planted regeneration zone, where aquatic plants provide hydrobotanical filtration. Planting around the water includes water mint, water forget-me-nots, native flag irises, marsh marigolds and purple loosestrife. The report says dragonflies and bats have already been attracted to the garden; the owners also describe frogs, toads, newts and several dragonfly species using the ponds.
The layout shifts from stronger geometry near the house to softer curves, a chalk meadow and an edible hedge nearer the fields. The hedge combines hazel, hawthorn, blackberry, black chokeberry, damson, pear and serviceberry. Other features include a raised kitchen garden, grapevine pergola, firepit, boulder seating and outdoor shower. Existing terraces, ponds and selected plants—including the clients’ fig tree, raspberries and rhubarb—were retained or relocated.
A Garden Built for Daily Use
The project brings together recreation, food growing and habitat in a single domestic landscape. The natural pool was intended to make swimming available at home, while its planted regeneration zone and the surrounding ponds support aquatic life. That combination matters to the owners because the garden had previously played a limited role in their everyday lives.
Its design also connects the home to the wider countryside through the edible hedgerow and uncut winter meadow. The clients say they leave the meadow standing through winter so insects, birds and small mammals have food and places to overwinter. The reported wildlife sightings are encouraging, though they do not by themselves establish how the project has affected local wildlife populations.
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From Formal Pond to Natural Pool
The first concept called for a formal, linear pond, positioned to reflect a mature birch tree seen from the home’s open-plan kitchen and living area. The design changed after existing drainage and a suspected utility service were identified across the garden. Platt instead developed a circular pool, according to the Homes and Gardens account.
The brief extended beyond the pool. The owners wanted room to swim, grow produce and entertain, along with a landscape that felt connected to the surrounding fields and hedgerows. The design keeps some established elements, including two ponds valued for their environmental contribution, while shifting from a more structured area by the house to softer planting farther out.
Seasonal interest was another client request. The planting includes ornamental grasses and perennials, alongside shrubs selected for autumn color and texture. The report identifies Euonymus alatus ‘Compactus’ as a standout for its bright red fall display and multi-stem structure.
“The garden has become a haven, a place to find balance and feel miles away from everything… And our natural pond is a total escape all through the seasons.”
— The garden’s clients, as quoted by Homes and Gardens
What the Report Does Not Establish
The published account does not give the project’s completion date, cost or garden size, nor does it provide independent monitoring of wildlife or water quality. The animal sightings and breeding activity are reported by the clients, not presented as findings from a formal ecological assessment.
The article describes the pool as unheated and says the owners envisioned swimming through winter, but it does not confirm how often they swim in colder months or provide details about the pool’s maintenance and operating requirements. The suspected utility service is described as part of the design change; the report does not say whether its location was later confirmed.
How the Garden Will Mature
No further project announcement or follow-up schedule is given in the source report. The next changes are likely to come through the garden’s seasonal growth: the aquatic and shoreline planting flowers across spring and summer, while the meadow is left standing over winter. The edible hedge is intended to provide blossom, fruit, structure and habitat as it develops.
Whether the garden’s wildlife use increases over time, and how the natural pool performs through the seasons, remain open questions. The available account offers a description of the design and the owners’ experience, rather than a long-term evaluation.
Key Questions
Who designed the Buckinghamshire garden?
Rachel Platt Garden Design led the garden design, collaborating with Ellicar Natural Pools on the natural swimming pool.
What makes the swimming pool natural?
The pool has a clear swimming area and a separate planted regeneration zone. Aquatic plants in that zone provide hydrobotanical filtration, according to the report.
What wildlife has been reported in the garden?
The clients say they have seen frogs, toads, newts, dragonflies and a water snake. Homes and Gardens also reports that dragonflies and bats have been attracted to the garden. These are reported sightings, not results from a published ecological survey.
Why was the original pond design changed?
The first proposal was a formal linear pond, but existing drainage and a suspected utility service crossing the garden prompted a redesign as a circular pool.
What other uses does the garden support?
Alongside swimming and wildlife habitat, the garden includes a raised kitchen garden, edible hedge, grapevine pergola, firepit and outdoor shower. Existing ponds and selected plants were kept or relocated.
Source: rss
