A Dutch woodland garden reimagined as a magical sanctuary with a sense of exploration

Everything is cut back at the end of February, then left to re-emerge naturally. Stefano lets self-seeding plants, such as dark-leaved honesty (Lunaria annua 'Chedglow') have their head, knowing that you can learn a lot about a garden by seeing where plants re-home themselves. The sandy soil makes relocating excess seedlings easy, and these wandering plants link one part of the garden with another.

The back garden is enclosed by a cloud-pruned yew hedge, beyond which is a wood of oak, beech and pine trees grazed by wild cattle. The winding paths continue in reclaimed herringbone brick, echoing the lanes in the historic city of Delft. The planting style is still relaxed, but height is kept below a metre, because Stefano wanted his clients to be able to see from the house through to a natural swimming pond. This inviting kidney-shaped pool is fringed with plants for about a third of its area, with enough clear water to take a bracing plunge before heading to a small sauna in the corner of the garden. Some lawn has been kept here, and in the early months of the year it is studded with early bulbs like scilla, snowdrop, crocus and muscari.

Aster divaricatus and the hardy fern Dryopteris erythrosora in the side garden.

Eva Nemeth

Throughout the garden are stacked discreet log piles. They are good habitats for many species of invertebrate and amphibian, such as frogs and newts, but are also eye-catching, especially in winter. ‘Structure doesn't always need to be a wall or something we've built,’ reasons Stefano. ‘Their beauty is that they change, and after a very short time, they start creating their own colonies of moss, lichen and mushrooms.’ Their irregular shapes force the eye to slow down and appreciate the subtlety of the planting. They are also practical, because as debris is removed from the garden, it is added to the pile instead of going into green waste. ‘As long as things are done with an eye for design and proportions, clients accept them,’ says Stefano.

One of the many things that give character to the garden is the play of light throughout the year. The tall pines that surround it have sufficiently high canopies to let light filter through, so it never feels dark, even in winter. Although the garden incorporates sunny and shady areas, plants connect stylistically with each other, so it looks harmonious rather than reading as two distinct planting schemes.

Stefano maintains the garden in large part himself, so he is able to use self-seeding plants like toadflax (Linaria purpurea) and honesty, which can get out of control. ‘It's about managing what's growing. I like to merge the boundaries between hard and soft landscaping, encouraging low-growing self-seeders like the purple-leaved Viola labradorica to spread in the cracks, making the garden part of nature.’

For his clients, the garden has become much more than the sterile space it once was. 'One of the greatest joys is experiencing it through the seasons, says Marcel. ‘There is always something changing, emerging, or surprising us. Managing it is far more rewarding than simply mowing what once felt like a football field; now every moment outside brings encounters with a rich variety of wildlife.’