Garden plan:
The site:
A small London garden, approximately 12m x 3.5m (40’ x 11’) on two levels, including an existing paved terrace area. The garden faces south-east, but a tall Leyland cypress at one end blocks out most of the light to the space, making much of the garden unusable.
The solution:
Removal of the cypress by a tree surgeon allowed the garden layout to be re-planned more efficiently. The final design uses blocks of planting to break up the straight line of the garden, creating the impression of extra space. The terrace area, which is partially separated from the rest of the garden by a well-established rose bed, has been retained. A second, more informal seating area is tucked into a spot near the roses that catches the afternoon sun. At the end of the garden, a small ornamental tree (Acer palmatum ‘Sango-Kaku’) in one corner gives privacy from neighbouring properties, while in the other corner, Venetian fencing screens off a small utilities area containing a shed, space for a rubbish bin and recycling crates, and a water butt to catch the run-off from the shed roof.
Planting is kept mainly low-level so as to retain the sense of space, using evergreen shrubs with strong structure and interesting foliage such as phormiums, euonymus and variegated hebes. Spring bulbs and herbaceous perennials provide colour and seasonal variety.