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Rachel Platt Garden Design reworked an underused South Buckinghamshire garden into a year-round outdoor space with an unheated natural swimming pool, food-growing areas and habitat for wildlife. The design retains existing ponds, terrace and valued plants while connecting the garden to the surrounding fields and hedgerows.
Designer Rachel Platt has transformed an underused garden in South Buckinghamshire into a landscape centered on an unheated natural swimming pool, food-growing spaces and wildlife habitat. The project responds to the owners’ request for a garden that would connect with nearby fields and hedgerows while giving them more reason to spend time outdoors at home.
The owners, who both work in the veterinary sector, wanted a garden that could support wildlife and provide places to swim, grow food and entertain. According to the project report by Homes and Gardens, they had previously driven elsewhere to swim in rivers and spent relatively little time in their own garden. Platt’s design shifts from more defined geometry near the house to softer curves, a chalk meadow and an edible hedgerow towards the fields.
The focal point is an unheated natural pool developed with Ellicar Natural Pools. It has a clear swimming area and a planted regeneration zone, where aquatic plants provide hydrobotanical filtration. Shoreline planting includes water mint, water forget-me-nots, native flag irises and marsh marigolds. The report says dragonflies and bats have already been seen around the pool; it also records the clients’ account of frogs, toads, newts and birds using the garden’s ponds.
The layout changed during planning. The original proposal was for a formal linear pond positioned to reflect a mature birch tree visible from the house. Existing drainage and a suspected utility service crossing the garden prompted a redesign as a circular pool. The project also retained the existing terrace and two ponds, and saved or relocated established plants, including the owners’ fig tree, lily of the valley, raspberries and rhubarb.
Beyond the pool, the garden includes a raised kitchen garden, a grapevine pergola, a firepit with boulder seating, an outdoor shower and a dedicated dining area. An edible hedge combines hazel and hawthorn with fruiting plants and trees, including blackberry, damson, pear and serviceberry. It adds food and seasonal structure while providing a gradual link to the meadow, which the owners leave uncut over winter for wildlife.
A Garden Designed for Daily Use
The project brings several uses together in a single home landscape: swimming, food production, entertaining and wildlife support. For the owners, the natural pool changes swimming from an outing that required driving to a feature available in their own garden. Its planted regeneration area and the retained ponds also mean the water features are part of the garden’s habitat design, rather than serving only as amenities.
The choices show how the owners’ priorities shaped the work. Retaining established features and plants preserved parts of the existing garden, while the meadow and edible hedge connect the designed space to the rural landscape beyond. The result is a specific example of a residential garden planned for both everyday activity and ecological value, although the source does not provide measured data on biodiversity or water performance.
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From Linear Pond to Circular Pool
The brief joined the owners’ wish for a wildlife-friendly sanctuary with practical requests for swimming, growing food and hosting family and friends. Platt’s design gives the garden a changing character: firmer lines around the house soften further out, ending in the meadow and hedge towards the fields. The report describes the project as a response to the site and its surroundings, rather than a uniform layout across the garden.
Technical constraints affected the central feature. Drainage and a suspected utility route made the intended linear pond impractical, so the design moved to a circular pool. The existing terrace and ponds stayed in place because of their environmental value and the wildlife they supported. Planting also reflects the owners’ interest in autumn color, with ornamental grasses and perennials selected for seasonal texture alongside shrubs such as burning bush.
“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 owners, quoted in Homes and Gardens
What the Project Report Does Not Measure
The source describes the design and reports wildlife sightings, but it does not give independent ecological measurements, counts of species over time or a baseline for comparison. It also does not provide construction costs, the pool’s dimensions, water-quality results or details on how its filtration performs through different seasons. The utility service that influenced the redesign is described as suspected; the report does not say whether its location was later confirmed.
The owners’ comments offer firsthand testimony about how they use the space and what they have observed. They should not be read as proof that every garden with a natural pool will attract the same wildlife or deliver the same ecological effects.
How the Garden Will Change Seasonally
The project report does not announce a future construction phase or a scheduled follow-up. The garden is designed to change through the year: shoreline plants flower from spring into early autumn, while the meadow is left standing over winter to offer seeds and cover. The edible hedge and raised beds are intended to produce seasonal food, and autumn planting brings color and texture later in the year.
For now, the reported development is the completed garden and the owners’ experience of using it. Any claims about long-term wildlife numbers, pool performance or how the planting matures would require later observation; the source does not set out a monitoring plan.
Key Questions
Who designed the South Buckinghamshire garden?
Rachel Platt Garden Design designed the garden. The natural pool was developed in collaboration with Ellicar Natural Pools, according to the Homes and Gardens report.
How does the natural swimming pool work?
The pool has a plant-free swimming zone and a planted regeneration zone. The source says the aquatic planting provides hydrobotanical filtration, but it does not give technical performance data.
Why did the pool design change?
The initial plan called for a linear pond, but existing drainage and a suspected utility service led the team to redesign it as a circular pool. The report does not say whether the suspected service was confirmed.
What wildlife has been reported in the garden?
The owners told Homes and Gardens they have seen frogs, toads, newts, dragonflies, bats, birds and a water snake. Those observations are attributed to the owners; the report does not include an independent wildlife survey.
What other features are in the garden?
The garden includes a raised kitchen garden, edible hedge, grapevine pergola, firepit, outdoor shower and dining area, along with a meadow and retained ponds.
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