Over the years we have had the fortune to be involved in designing sometimes tricky little gardens interwoven within the fabric of the home and with that you very quickly became aware of how many inner courtyards and roof gardens there are within our cities.

All too often considered one of those ‘Too hard basket’ elements by many, just gives the design team at Scenic BlueDesign that inner excitement. Why, well sure we are designing to support the owners wishes but their wishes are at times heavily controlled by the elements the courtyard or roof garden has to embrace. Things like:

o Limited or no sun

o Exposure to all the elements the weather can throw at us

o Poor air circulation and drainage limitations

o Lacking space and its competition between passage ways, furnishings, plantings

o Challenging access for the construction of the courtyard or roof garden. They are not always on the ground

One of the truly enjoyable challenges of Landscape Architecture is being asked to produce a garden which achieves all the wishes, with the main restriction being space. As the demands of modern life encroach on space and time, the idea of spilling out into the garden at the drop of a hat has renewed appeal. There is something deeply refreshing about sitting out in the open air, sheltered by lush plantings, listening to the splash of moving water, catching the sun and soaking up the ambiance as you sip on a cool drink and just enjoying. Mmm, how good this all sounds.

But we also need to be realistic especially within the city gardens. With the increasing trend for city gardens to be created in a space that was just once forgotten, a new kind of garden is developing. Often small in scale with enclosing boundaries and lack of privacy, these gardens have become peaceful havens in our frantic towns and cities.

Some simple tips for small spaces are:

o Use large format tiles or pavers and consider placing them on the diagonal

o Do not introduce busy lines

o Crisp clean flowing lines leading to each other will give you cohesion

o Physical barriers to block out onlookers can actually create a negative space for you and therefore a suppressing atmosphere. You do not have to block to gain privacy. There are many tricks out there. Consider using plantings to soften and disguise.

o Introduce soft lighting. This not only gives you a room at night but visual interest from within the house. Do not busy this up with colours

o Raised beds and containers establish an interest at all levels

o If it’s a roof garden consider loadings and drainage

So, if you have one of those garden areas that is lost or neglected because of the ‘too hard basket’, just break the elements down into simple steps and evaluate how each step or item will perform on its own and also as a group. It’s amazing how you will start to bring together a be-spoke garden suited for you and the space in question. Embrace the negative – it’s the only way to create a positive. Good luck and if we can help then do drop us a line.