5 Fun Features to Add to Your New Landscaped Garden in Cheltenham or Gloucester
A new garden is more than lawn and borders — it’s an extra room. If you’re planning a landscaping project in Cheltenham or Gloucester this year, here are five features our clients keep asking for, and why they’re worth considering for your own outdoor space. For a taste of where garden design is heading more broadly, the RHS’s Chelsea Flower Show 2026 highlights are a great source of inspiration too.
1. A Pergola for Structure and Shade
A well-placed pergola instantly gives a garden shape. It frames a seating area, softens a bare fence line, and gives climbing plants like wisteria or clematis somewhere to go. In Gloucestershire’s mix of sun and showers, a pergola with a retractable canopy or louvred roof means you get shade on hot days and shelter when the weather turns — which, let’s be honest, it often does around here.
Timber pergolas suit the character of Cheltenham’s Regency streets and Gloucester’s older properties, while powder-coated aluminium versions work well for newer builds wanting a cleaner, modern look.
2. A Hot Tub, Properly Integrated
Hot tubs are still one of the most requested additions to gardens across the Cotswolds edge, but the difference between a “nice hot tub” and a “why didn’t we do this sooner” hot tub is the integration. A raised timber deck, privacy screening, and lighting around the base turn a hot tub from a garden centre afterthought into a proper feature. Positioning matters too — south or west-facing spots make the most of evening sun, and factoring in access for maintenance from day one saves headaches later.
3. Sunken Seating Areas
Sunken seating areas — sometimes called conversation pits — have moved from show-garden novelty to a genuinely popular request. Dropping a seating zone by even 30–40cm creates a cosy, wind-sheltered spot and makes a garden feel bigger by adding a change in level. They work brilliantly built around a fire pit and pair naturally with retaining walls in natural stone, which suits the local Cotswold palette particularly well.
4. Garden Lighting That Does More Than Illuminate
Good lighting design is the cheapest way to transform how a garden feels after dark, and it’s often underspent on. Layering matters: low-level path lighting for safety, uplighters on trees or architectural planting for drama, and warm-toned festoon or strip lighting around seating and dining areas for atmosphere. Smart, app-controlled systems are increasingly popular too, letting homeowners set the mood without leaving their seat.
5. Outdoor Kitchens
Outdoor kitchens have grown well beyond a barbecue on a patio. A built-in grill, pizza oven, worktop space, and even a small fridge turn a garden into a genuine entertaining space, and they extend the usable season when paired with a pergola or covered structure overhead. For gardens in Cheltenham and Gloucester, positioning an outdoor kitchen near the house (for services and convenience) but angled to catch evening sun tends to get the most use.
Bringing It All Together
The best new gardens don’t just tick these boxes individually — they connect them. A pergola over a sunken seating area, lit well, next to an outdoor kitchen, with a hot tub tucked into its own private corner: that’s a garden people actually use, in every season, not just the two sunny weeks of a British summer.
If you’re planning a landscaping project in Cheltenham, Gloucester, or anywhere across Gloucestershire, we’d love to help you design a garden that fits how you actually want to live outdoors. Take a look at our full range of pergola, lighting, and outdoor kitchen services, or [get in touch for a free consultation.]
FAQs
What is the most popular garden feature in Cheltenham and Gloucester right now? Pergolas and outdoor kitchens are currently the most requested features, often combined so homeowners can entertain outdoors in shade or light rain.
Do I need planning permission for a hot tub or pergola in Gloucestershire? Most garden features fall under permitted development, but this depends on your property, its boundaries, and whether it’s listed or in a conservation area (relevant in parts of Cheltenham). We always check this as part of the design process.
How much does a landscaped garden with these features cost? Costs vary widely depending on scale and materials — a simple pergola starts in the low thousands, while a full garden transformation with a hot tub, kitchen, and sunken seating area is a bigger investment. We provide tailored quotes after an initial consultation.
What time of year is best to start a garden project? Autumn and winter are ideal for planning and groundwork, so the garden is ready to enjoy from spring onward.