Situation: Rear, urban court yard garden.

Area: approximately 35m²

Aspect: North East facing.

Environmental conditions: Fully enclosed rear garden with walls and high fences to all exposed sides. Direct sun on NE positioned patio area in the mid to late afternoon. With morning sun to the East-facing aspect.

Garden uses: A garden to sit and spend time in/relaxation. Used days/evenings/weekends, mostly in the warmer months.

The brief was for a low maintenance sanctuary for sitting and relaxing with planting to attract wildlife. We created a mood board with materials and colours sympathetic to the new development and its industrial heritage as a former laundry. We minimised the environmental impact by embedding natural materials throughout the design that would last for decades.

Our clients were very keen to incorporate lots of plants and colour, but admitted they knew very little about plants. So the planting scheme had to be easy to maintain and provide habitat for wildlife/insects, as well as year round interest. As most of the planting was to be in large planters or planted within gravel, drought-resistant planting was also key.

The style, materials and colour palette for the new garden were chosen specifically to echo those of the house as well as acknowledging the former industrial heritage of the Laundry Quarter. As this was a very small garden, a pared back palette of neutral colours and materials was equally important in ensuring the overall cohesiveness of the design.

The design layout brings movement and flow into the garden, incorporating a corner seating area to relax and catch the sun, and using curved lines and circular shapes, together with airy planting to complement the industrial looking corten (Core Ten) planters.

Structure is the backbone of design.

Contemporary, elegant materials include use of corten (Core-Ten) steel raised circular planters, which provide architectural structure and height. These are softened by the wispy grasses and trailing perennials. The warm bronze colours of corten steel complements both the industrial heritage and the hues of ornamental grasses to perfection as they change to coppers and golds through the seasons.

The industrial theme theme is continued with use of curved steel edging and a circular steel tree ring. A core-Ten steel waterbowl was also specified to provide additional interest and reflective light.

Timeless and earthy, warm-hued gravels accentuate the calm design. With the material visually connecting different areas and serving as soothing negative space. The gravel is also planted into with low level, drought resistant sedum and hebe plants. There are barefoot-friendly porcelain pavers forming a circular pathway through to the new sun patio sitting area, which itself uses long lasting ‘wood effect’ porcelain pavers.

Self binding gravel was specified for the hard standing areas around the planters. This stays more firm underfoot compared to traditional loose gravel surfaces, while remaining water permeable, which is especially important in urban areas. After discussing with the client, they preferred the option of loose gravel in a contrasting colour, which works equally well aesthetically.

Planting is what completes a garden.

A beautiful, single stemmed, Amelanchier tree was chosen to act as a focal point while providing dappled shade to the seating area. It was important that the variety of tree chosen would not outgrow the limited space of the garden, as well as providing multi-season interest.

We used different grasses to create, height, softness and movement in the planters. Long flowering perennials intermingle to add splashes of colour and to attract bees and other pollinators. The purples, pinks and blues are the perfect complement, acting as a foil to the coppers and bronzes of the core-ten and the brick from the building.

With attention to climate change and minimal watering requirements, plant species and varieties were chosen that would be drought resistant once established. Furthermore, all were low maintenance and pollinator friendly.