Many gardens in London, where most of my clients live, are relatively small but no garden is too large. The smallest I have designed, built and planted was a 3m x 2m courtyard at the back of a ground floor flat. The largest to date was a 31m x 11m garden behind a terraced house. I have also designed roof terraces, ensuring maximum use of space and using plants and materials which can withstand exposure to extreme elements, and a school garden, involving the children in the planting. There are many more examples of my gardens in my portfolio but the following illustrate a spread of lifestyles I have encountered and designed gardens for:
Boisterous boys v trendy thirty-somethingsWildlife in retirementEasy on the work in a busy, young familyA busy couple who garden for relaxationFamily fun ... for all agesSpace for parties with peaceful relaxation in betweenTranquillity with an abundance of flowersPenthouse livingA no work garden for a busy womanHectic jobs leave no time for gardeningA school garden, combining learning with play[Click on each photo for a larger view]
Boisterous boys v trendy thirty-somethings
How can you combine space for kids to let off steam with areas for adults to enjoy plus room for family get-togethers? Defining areas and using sympathetic materials is the answer. Here a combination of a hardwood boardwalk and Indian sandstone (always in a mixture of lovely, natural shades) provide a grown-up feature leading from the house to the lawn. A large, striking piece of granite is an eye-catcher outside; beautifully lit at night, it can be seen from the kitchen window helping to make chores a pleasure. A raised deck is large enough for a climbing structure for the boys (when they are not running around on the lawn) and a table for eight. Exotic planting was at the top of the client's wish list. Existing planting at the end of the garden was kept but a brick wall around it was replaced with timber railway sleepers which double-up as seating.
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Wildlife in retirement
This couple had come down from Scotland to be nearer their family, now round the corner. They wanted year round enjoyment from their garden so having a raised deck level with the wooden floor of their new extension helps to draw the outside in winter, and the inside out in summer; it also provides space for eating out of doors, as a couple or with friends and family. A small, crescent-shaped pond attracts wildlife as do the plants (grasses for butterflies, lavender for bees). Planting through gravel reduces weeding; stepping-stones make it easier to tend the plants that do need attention; no time is wasted on mowing. A circular patio, of Indian sandstone, edged with brick detail to finish the design and harmonise with the house, provides space for relaxing in deckchairs. The atmosphere is enhanced by gentle nighttime lighting.
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Easy on the work in a busy, young family
For the owners, a husband with a long working day and a wife who had only recently given up her full-time job to have a second baby, the priorities were easy maintenance, space for safe play, privacy and disguising a dull, overlooked outlook. A multi-stemmed silver birch will screen the garden from a block of flats and hide the drab concrete, there's space on the patio for the pram or entertaining plus a square lawn large enough for the baby and energetic running around from their enthusiastic young daughter. A small area was allocated to her so she could help in the garden and experiment with her own set of mini tools; if truth were to be told, she was more excited about the new garden than were her parents!
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A busy couple who garden for relaxation
Having built an extension to bring the indoors out, this working couple wanted to bring their outdoors in. They had successfully nurtured, and so did not want to lose, plants in their pond. They wanted to incorporate colour, scent, sound and movement, have a restful spot to relax, space to entertain, and accommodate their practical, gardening needs. Most of the plants, chosen for colour and scent, are near the house. The aquatic plants were successfully moved to a new water feature (now also home to fish and frogs) where underwater jets create gentle movement and a tickle of sound in what is now a soft, relaxing, cool area. A nearby sunken space provides a Zen-like spot for peaceful contemplation. A square of lawn makes the relatively narrow garden look wider and, with decking and paved areas, ensures there are several spaces for them to drink or eat, together or with friends. A discreet screen, where clematis has started to grow, hides compost bins and a bonfire, ensuring a nice view from the house.
This garden includes every aspect of garden design - keeping existing, well-loved features (a bird bath, the aquatic plants); introducing new aspects; custom made furniture and decoration (a specially commissioned cedar bench); formality and relaxation; plus lighting, grass, stone, decking, brick, pebbles, gravel, water, trellis as well as different levels, shapes, angles and dimensions and a variety of planting. While you might not want or need all these features, it gives you a good idea of what can be included.
(Construction by Landscape Definitions)
BACK TO TOPFamily fun ... for all ages
Making space for growing children's play and adult entertaining is a typical family dilemma but it need not be either/or; you really can have it all. After 10 or so years, this family wanted to introduce some sophistication into their garden while allowing their daughters to continue enjoying it. They wanted to retain some features (the patio and brick columns, for example) yet end up with a whole new look. The original yorkstone patio was extended to make more room for eating out; the brick columns were planted with bamboo and climbers to soften the appearance of the brick. A new curved path not only breaks up the space, making it seem less square and more spacious; it also provides an interesting bike ride; the children now have three distinct areas (lawn, patio and path) for play. Along the path, soft grasses add texture (and are lovely to touch); at night they shimmer in light cast from beneath the multi-stemmed silver birch. A raised bed creates height at the end of the garden. Planting throughout is a mixture of herbaceous and evergreen for year round interest. An irrigation system ensures the garden can be watered (hosepipe use permitting!) while the family is away. The contemporary water feature adds a sophisticated touch - but has also proved to be a child's delight. Bikes and garden paraphernalia are stored out of sight in the side return. All this in a 12 metre x 12 metre square behind a semi detached house in Putney. more family gardens...
(Construction by Landscape Definitions)
BACK TO TOPSpace for parties with peaceful relaxation in between
Don't let an odd shaped garden put you off; there are several ways of dealing with difficult shapes. Here, where contrasting entertaining with relaxation was a top priority, you have to look closely to see the garden is far from symmetrical. The clients - vivacious, busy professional men - wanted to incorporate exotic plants with timber, slate, a water feature and sculptures for a dramatic effect. Minimum maintenance was a priority. With a second home by the sea, this is their mid-week home where evening entertaining is high on their agenda - so lighting was essential. The result is not just an ideal space, beautifully lit for parties but also a calm, subtly lit spot for those quiet evenings in - but out of doors.
(Client and construction courtesy of Landscape Definitions)
BACK TO TOPTranquillity with an abundance of flowers
An artistic couple wanted somewhere tranquil to relax with space to grow their own flowers for display outside and for indoor decoration. Including fluid curves and using several natural materials gives this garden an organic feel. Putting a patio halfway down the garden, and near the water feature, creates interest beyond the house. A display of spruce timber sleepers draws the eye away from, and so softens, the stark and hard look of the extension. Lighting in the borders adds drama to the garden at night.
(Client and construction courtesy of Landscape Definitions)
BACK TO TOPPenthouse living
There is no escape from extremes of weather here where strong winds and driving rain dictate what can be planted and how often this roof top space can be used. Nevertheless, it remains a fantastic spot to enjoy on good days and enhances the view from indoors. With a cosmopolitan lifestyle, the clients wanted to impress others with the openness and expanse of this space and its views to the north and west. Tall rust-effect planters and steel troughs plus a luxury hardwood deck create a modern finish to this stunning space. Whether you have a large roof terrace - or a small balcony - around your flat, clever, judicious planting can make all the difference to what are otherwise awkward spaces.
BACK TO TOPA no work garden for a busy woman
With a serious and time-consuming hobby showing dogs this owner has little time for gardening and a great need for natural drainage. She knew she wanted to incorporate stone and keep some shrubs while improving the view from her living room. I recommended a design using flowing shapes with pockets of planting to give a soft look overall. The damaged worn-out lawn was replaced with different types of cobbles, pebbles and golden shingle. A river of smooth slate chippings serves as an attractive focal point; bamboo poles create height. Different varieties of ornamental grasses and lavender are planted around and among the stones; they grow well in this dry garden as they require only minimal watering. Although there is no lawn the appearance is decorative and attractive thanks to the use of several natural materials. The overall effect is a bit like walking along a beach...behind a terraced house in Sunbury. more low maintenance gardens...
BACK TO TOPHectic jobs leave no time for gardening
What happens to the garden when work-life takes over? Here in Chiswick, two busy women wanted more from their small urban garden which had by default become rather bleak. Lawn and a few flowers, yet with a modern look, plus space for eating and no work please, were their main requests. Choosing geraniums, rock roses and clematis to nestle between dwarf bamboo and soft grasses was the easy bit. The challenge was fitting everything into this tiny space behind a terraced house, without making it seem crowded. Designing it at an angle of 45 degrees in relation to the house, giving the illusion of extra space, was the answer. A new sandstone patio, edged with brick to match the house, a japanese maple, slow growing so it will always remain in scale (unlike the ancient apple tree it replaced which had taken up about a third of the garden) and concealed lighting ensure within the planting ensures a good view from the house when they come home, as so often happens, too late to enjoy being out of doors. more low maintenance gardens...
(Construction by Landscape Definitions)
BACK TO TOPA school garden, combining learning with play
Schools and offices often want to exploit their outdoor spaces, either to enhance their reputation or increase the scope of what they do. Here, the governors of the school felt they could turn their outdoor space not just into a greater asset but also into an area for learning and play. A key aspect of the brief was to involve the children in the planting, first asking them what they liked and disliked and then guiding them as they worked on the garden. The photo shows that they clearly enjoyed the experience; the garden is now used much more as an educational resource as well as a space to channel the children's energy.
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