Designing for Windy Gardens in the Chew Valley, Bristol & Bath
If you live in the Chew Valley or the surrounding countryside near Bristol and Bath, there’s a good chance your garden comes with a beautiful view — and a fair amount of wind. Many gardens in this area sit on open ground, often exposed to prevailing south-westerly winds, with little protection from surrounding buildings or mature tree cover.
While an exposed garden can feel fresh and open in summer, it can also be frustrating. Seating areas become unpleasant even on mild days, plants struggle to establish, and the garden may feel like a space you look at rather than use.
The good news is that exposure doesn’t have to mean an uncomfortable garden. With thoughtful planning, it’s possible to create sheltered pockets and warmer microclimates that make the garden far more usable throughout the year.
What is a Microclimate in the Garden?
A microclimate is a small area within the garden where the conditions differ from the surrounding space. It might be warmer, more sheltered, sunnier, or less exposed.
Microclimates can occur naturally (for example beside a south-facing wall), but they can also be created through design. In windy gardens, creating microclimates is one of the most effective ways to improve comfort and allow a wider range of plants to thrive.
Why Wind Matters in Garden Design
Wind affects gardens in ways that go beyond a few blown-over pots.
Persistent exposure can:
reduce temperature through wind chill
dry out soil and plants quickly
damage foliage and snap stems
prevent young trees and shrubs from establishing
make patios and seating areas unpleasant
In rural areas such as North Somerset and the Chew Valley, wind can be particularly strong due to open landscapes, proximity to the Mendips, and sloping sites. Many gardens also have “wind corridors” where gusts funnel between buildings or along boundary lines.
Understanding how the wind moves through a garden is one of the most important starting points in the design process.
Shelter Works Best When it Filters Wind
A common mistake in windy gardens is installing a tall solid fence in the hope of blocking the wind completely.
In reality, solid barriers often create turbulence. Wind hits the surface and then spills over the top, causing swirling gusts on the sheltered side.
A more effective approach is permeable shelter — something that slows the wind rather than stopping it abruptly. This creates a calmer environment without harsh turbulence.
Hedges, layered planting, slatted screens, and trellis panels tend to work far better than solid fencing alone.
Using Planting to Create Natural Wind Protection
Planting is one of the most attractive ways to create shelter and is often the most appropriate option in rural gardens where hard boundaries can feel harsh.
The most successful wind protection comes from layering plants at different heights:
Evergreen (and even Deciduous) hedges for year-round shelter, and structure
Shrubs to create density at mid-level
Grasses and perennials to soften edges and add movement
Ornamental grasses are particularly useful in exposed gardens because they are designed to bend and move. They also suit the naturalistic planting style that blends well across North Somerset rural landscapes.
In the Chew Valley, where clay soil is common, plants such as Molinia, Carex, Cornus, Viburnum, Geraniums, and Hellebores can cope well once established.
Creating Garden Rooms to Reduce Exposure
Large gardens often feel open and undefined, which allows wind to travel across the space without interruption. One of the most effective design strategies is to divide the garden into smaller “rooms”.
This doesn’t mean fully enclosing the space. Even partial divisions can make a noticeable difference.
Garden rooms can be created using:
hedging
trellis or slatted screens
pergolas
clipped shrubs
changes in level
Breaking up the space not only reduces wind speed, but also gives structure and purpose. Instead of one large lawn, the garden becomes a series of areas — a terrace near the house, a seating space further out, perhaps a meadow zone or kitchen garden.
This approach is especially effective in rural gardens where the overall plot is generous but can feel difficult to manage.
Position Seating Areas Carefully
If there is one part of the garden worth prioritising for shelter, it is the seating area.
Many patios are placed directly outside the back door, but if that spot is exposed, it may rarely be used. Often, simply relocating the seating area slightly — or creating a second seating space — can transform how the garden functions.
A successful seating area should consider:
wind direction
sunlight (south and west-facing spots are often best)
proximity to the house
privacy and enclosure
Even small changes, such as adding a hedge or screen beside a seating area, can make the space feel dramatically warmer and calmer.
Using Levels, Walls and Raised Beds to Create Microclimates
Hard landscaping can also play a key role in creating shelter.
Low walls, raised beds and terraces help block wind at ground level and create more comfortable conditions for seating and planting. Natural materials such as stone and brick also absorb heat during the day and release it slowly, creating a warmer microclimate in the evening.
In sloping gardens — common in the Mendip Hills and surrounding areas — terracing can be particularly useful. It turns awkward levels into usable outdoor spaces while naturally creating sheltered pockets.
Screens and Pergolas: Shelter Without Losing Light
Timber screens, trellis panels and pergolas are excellent ways to create shelter without making the garden feel closed in.
They can:
reduce wind exposure
provide privacy
define a seating space
create a framework for climbing plants
Climbers such as clematis, honeysuckle and climbing roses can soften these structures and help them blend into the garden.
In exposed gardens, pergolas are often a good compromise — they add enclosure and comfort while maintaining a sense of openness and connection to the landscape.
Choose Plants That Cope With Wind
Plant choice matters greatly in exposed gardens. Some plants will always struggle if they are planted in open, windy conditions.
In general, wind-tolerant plants tend to have:
flexible stems
smaller leaves
tough growth habits
natural resilience to exposed sites
Grasses, robust shrubs, and multi-stem trees are often far more successful than delicate herbaceous planting in open locations.
Once the garden has some shelter established, the planting palette can widen significantly.
If your garden feels too exposed to enjoy, it’s worth remembering that wind problems can almost always be improved through thoughtful design.
Creating shelter and microclimates is one of the most valuable aspects of garden design. It makes outdoor spaces more comfortable, improves planting success, and allows you to use the garden far more often throughout the year.
If you’re based in the Chew Valley or surrounding areas near Bristol and Bath and would like help designing a garden that feels more sheltered and functional, feel free to get in touch here.
Visit my Garden Design page to see how I could design a garden for you to enjoy, or my Planting Design page for help creating some planting schemes for a windy site.
