Modern Courtyard - London

Design Brief

A small courtyard garden in London needed a private space for retreating from the hectic life of London. Surrounded on all sides by buildings and small trees, planting had to be shade tolerant and still provide colour and interest. New walls were introduced with sympathetic materials and the plant species chosen all prior to an introduction date of 1900.

A timber sleeper water feature was introduced as the garden was a 2 minute walk from Waterloo East station. The sounds of Big Ben in the distance added to the period character of the planting.

Before...

After...

Small can be beautiful

Small can be beautiful, with cool, lush colours and full of texture. A lack of sunlight doesn't have to mean no plants either as there are always perennials and shrubs which are well adapted to a lack of sunlight.

Water feature and lush planting

Shade tolerant planting

Climbing roses for shade

Sample plants

Hosta fortunei, Lonicera similis delavayi, Teucrium fruticans, Hemerocallis Flore Pleno, Trachycarpus fortunei, Acanthus spinosus, Dryopteris felix-mas, Allium schoenoprasum

Materials

Marshalls Tegula Setts, London Stock Brick walls, Custom made trellis work and timber sleepers fro the water feature. Sculptural heads - hand made. Metal obelisks by Toby Adams, Artist Blacksmith.