A London Courtyard Garden Becomes a Serene Oasis
Clever boundary ideas and a stunning water feature add extra pizzazz to smart landscaping and a luscious planting scheme
This garden at the rear of a Georgian terraced house in Greenwich, UK, was somewhat overgrown when the owners moved in. “There were some lovely plants here, and a water feature at the back, but it wasn’t a usable space at all,” says John Davies, who was tasked with redesigning the garden. Davies set about planning a space that would better suit the family, and partnered with the building team at Hortus in Blackheath to create a beautiful yet functional outdoor retreat.
The first thing people see as they come out into the backyard is a pond that runs across the whole width of the space. Paving stones lead you immediately over the water, which is home to goldfish and water lilies, and into the garden.
“I wanted to make a dramatic gesture, but didn’t want it to take up too much space,” Davies says, so although the pond is wide, it doesn’t reach too far back into the garden.
Ponds may not be suitable for families with very young children, so always discuss safety issues carefully with your designer before going ahead.
“I wanted to make a dramatic gesture, but didn’t want it to take up too much space,” Davies says, so although the pond is wide, it doesn’t reach too far back into the garden.
Ponds may not be suitable for families with very young children, so always discuss safety issues carefully with your designer before going ahead.
“In a small garden, you are so close to the boundary treatments that it’s crucial to get them right,” Davies says.
The slatted fences here lead your eye along the garden and elongate the space. They also provide an attractive, contemporary backdrop to the planting scheme. Here, the fence stands alone, while on the left-hand side of the garden, it sits on top of an existing brick wall in order to create a symmetrical look.
The slatted fences here lead your eye along the garden and elongate the space. They also provide an attractive, contemporary backdrop to the planting scheme. Here, the fence stands alone, while on the left-hand side of the garden, it sits on top of an existing brick wall in order to create a symmetrical look.
The gravelled area is a transitional space where occasional chairs can be pulled up next to the water.
“Gravel is a fantastic material as it’s cheaper than concrete, versatile and porous,” says Davies. “It also looks great and can be kept neat with a honeycomb mesh underneath, which we’ve added here.”
“Gravel is a fantastic material as it’s cheaper than concrete, versatile and porous,” says Davies. “It also looks great and can be kept neat with a honeycomb mesh underneath, which we’ve added here.”
The dining terrace was placed at the rear of the plot, surrounded by planting.
At the back of the garden, an old retaining wall separates the space from a tree-lined slope. “It would have been costly to rebuild the wall on a steep bank, so we built two freestanding walls in front of it instead,” says Davies.
The new block walls have been rendered and painted in a dark neutral shade, which makes the birch trees in front look vivid and clear.
Walls painted in ‘Maraschino Mocha’: Dulux
The new block walls have been rendered and painted in a dark neutral shade, which makes the birch trees in front look vivid and clear.
Walls painted in ‘Maraschino Mocha’: Dulux
The dark colour of the freestanding walls helps them to merge into the background, making the garden feel longer. “I like to use dark colours in small spaces,” Davies says. “It might feel counterintuitive, but dark shades are recessive in a garden so they make small spaces feel larger.”
The tree on the left is a Japanese maple (Acer palmatum), which is umbrella-pruned to retain its lightness and show off the structure. The branches look stunning when lit up in the evening.
The tree on the left is a Japanese maple (Acer palmatum), which is umbrella-pruned to retain its lightness and show off the structure. The branches look stunning when lit up in the evening.
Davies provided evergreen structure to the planting with three Japanese mock orange (Pittosporum tobira ‘Nanum’) shrubs, which naturally grow in a low dome shape. “They are crucial because they form punctuation marks and ground the garden,” says Davies. “Their diagonal positioning moves your eye naturally around the space.”
Davies also introduced grasses into the planting scheme, with a semi-pendulous and architectural Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra) below the acer and some feathery tufted hair grass (Deschampsia cespitosa) at the back. “Texture is just as important as colour in the garden,” Davies says. “I’ve tried to combine solid domes, frothy grasses and scrappy leaves for a semi-natural and fulsome look, which softens the edges of the geometrical landscaping.”
The Deschampsia cespitosa is a woodland grass, so it works well in the shade here. Its brown, feathery appearance provides a backdrop for the tall, dramatic flowers of the wand loosestrife (Lythrum virgatum ‘Dropmore purple’) and the white petals of the Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’.
“In its natural environment, the Lythrum virgatum is found close to water, so it works well next to the pond,” Davies says.
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“In its natural environment, the Lythrum virgatum is found close to water, so it works well next to the pond,” Davies says.
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Read about more small gardens
Who lives here: A couple with their two daughters
Location: Greenwich, southeast London
Property: A Georgian terraced house
Garden size: About 55 square metres
Designer: John Davies of John Davies Landscape
Photos by John Davies
In this relatively small space, John Davies used subtle zones to make the garden appear larger and more interesting. “I think it’s important to create a journey through a garden and change the atmosphere in each area. In a small garden this is harder to do, and it has to be more subtly implied,” he explains.
Davies installed a water feature that leads to a gravelled area and eventually up to a raised patio at the rear.