Bantry smallholding
A sanctuary for animals, plants & people

Step inside this space
Home to two dogs, two pigs, ducks, hens & soon to be alpaca as well, this place is buzzing with life! These clients were keen to roll up their sleeves & bring our design to life themselves & with our unique Design Realisation Guide, they’ve been able to do just that! Having already created an extensive wildflower meadow, planted a new orchard with apples, pears, plums & cherries & constructed a dramatic stumpery seating space, next project phases include a food forest, kitchen garden, cut flower garden & spa garden complete with a swimming pond.
The Client Brief
“We’re young professionals who have recently renovated an old farmhouse in West Cork. The house sits on two acres of land which we’re looking to develop into a small-holding and need help planning out the space.
The site is surrounded by woodland & forestry and includes sloped fields to the front and back. We would like a coppice, an orchard, a kitchen garden, relaxation space, dining area, hot tub, wildflower meadow & glamping area for guests. So far as livestock we hope to have pigs, hens, ducks, alpaca as well as a peacock. We also have two dogs and two cats.
We both run our company from a home-based office so this site & the spaces within it are really important to us as we’ll spend a lot of time in or looking out at them. We may from time to time have clients visit so need key welcome areas to reflect our brand.
We want to do as much of the work ourselves and so need a clear plan & phased approach to guide us through the development of each space based on priority need. With regards budget, as the project will be completed over a number of years, we will be able to build up budget for each feature along the way & so would rather you focus on meeting our needs for the space that be constrained by finance.”

The Design Process
This client choose Design Package 3 – Design & Plan which includes:
In-depth Site Survey & Pre-Design Consultation
Draft Concept Design & mood boards
Final Design Master Plan (to scale)
Design Realisation Guide.
Design Presentation & Consultation

The Build
All elements of the management & build of this space have & will continue to be done by the clients themselves using the Design Realisation Guide provided as part of their Design Package (no.3) supplied by Two Green Shoots. As well as saving money, this approach enables clients to develop a wide set of skills & an intimate knowledge of their garden & how to continue to develop & maintain it into the future. For specialist jobs including landscaping, water & stonework, specific trades & craftspeople will be brought at the relevant phases within the overall project.

Client Testimonial
“We can’t wait to get them back in when we buy our next two acres!”
“Two Green Shoots worked with us through the design process and we were left with a final piece that was ambitious, functional, beautifully designed, but best of all it was achievable. Thanks to the extensive recommendations made as part of the design process we were able to begin work immediately, ordering around 250 plants, trees and shrubs from local suppliers to kick-start the project. Having such a large space meant this project was going to take a bit longer, and Two Green Shoots further supported this by breaking our design into sections and giving us timelines and estimated costs to help support our budgeting and progress.
To date, we have planted over 150 trees, we are currently digging in a 30-tree strong orchard, we have the groundworks underway for a nuttery, stumpery, edible hedgerow and a large area for our new barn. We are continuing work in 2020 and are seeing excellent progress as the land transforms before us. We are so excited to complete this project.”
