Overview

We were delighted to supply Millstone Landscapes with plants, for the soft landscaping of Fontwell Meadows—A new-build housing development by Dandara, located on the edge of the South Downs National Park in Fontwell, West Sussex. 

Known for its historic racecourse, Fontwell has an excellent selection of local amenities and easy access to nearby towns and cities, such as Chichester and Brighton. 

Fontwell Meadows offers a semi-rural location and countryside living for its residents, with beautifully designed one and two bedroom apartments, and two, three, and four bedroom homes, as well as a playground, allotments and an outside gym. 

Client: Millstone Landscapes 

Project: Fontwell Meadows 

Location: Fontwell, West Sussex 

Our Approach

We supplied an extensive selection of plants to enhance the grounds of the new-build development. A variety of trees were beautifully positioned at the entrance of Fontwell Meadows, including Acer campestre, Prunus spinosa, Tilia cordata ‘Greenspire’, and Carpinus betulus ‘Lucas’. Ideal for street planting, Tilia cordata ‘Greenspire’ is a deciduous, narrowly conical and upright tree, with glossy, heart-shaped, green foliage which turn yellow in autumn, and fragrant, pale yellow flowers in summer. An avenue of Carpinus betulus ‘Lucas’ was used to line the roadside and provide structure, underplanted with a bed of shrubs and grasses to add colour and vibrancy to the development, including Festuca glauca, Hypericum × moserianum, and Brachyglottis ‘Sunshine’. Festuca glauca is an excellent grass for roadsides as it is drought-tolerant and can cope in full sun. It adds a beautiful splash of colour and texture to the flower beds.  

A mixture of small shrubs were also supplied to create impressive and colourful borders surrounding the apartments, such as Hypericum ‘Hidcote’, Skimmia japonica ‘Fragrans’, Pieris japonica ‘Little Heath’, Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Golf Ball’, and Sarcococca hookeriana var. humilis. The Sarcococca was selected as it blooms in winter, allowing this evergreen shrub combination to provide flowers during every season. Stunning hues of white and yellow, with a pop of pink in spring from Pieris japonica ‘Little Heath’, help to enhance the development. Cornus kousa was also planted either side of the main entrance to the apartments, and in many other areas throughout Fontwell Meadows. Cornus kousa provides multiple seasons of interest, with its showy clusters of small flowers surrounded by white bracts in summer, followed by strawberry-shaped, pink fruits in autumn and its unique, peeling bark in winter. 

Many of the Fontwell Meadows’ homes were designed with decorative borders, allowing residents to have their own gardening space. A combination of compact shrubs were selected for these areas, such as Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Tom Thumb’, Salvia officinalis ‘Purpurascens’, and Ceanothus ‘Blue Cushion’. These shrubs will bring an abundance of purple and blue flowers to the residents’ borders in spring and summer, and will naturally attract bees, as well as other beneficial pollinators. 

The Result

We were thrilled to work with Millstone Landscapes on the soft landscaping of Fontwell Meadows and are thoroughly pleased with the results.  

Millstone Landscapes started their works in May 2022 and they overcame several challenges to complete the project. The project involved short timescales and working to tight deadlines. In addition, last year’s heatwave throughout July and August brought extra demands to the project as this made it harder for the plants to successfully establish. The plants required extra support in the form of more frequent watering and additional mulching, which help to keep the soil moist and encourage root growth. 

The residents of Fontwell Meadows will appreciate their new home, with open spaces right on their doorstep, which have been thoughtfully landscaped with our high quality plants and will continue to thrive for many years to come.