Lose Yourself in Lush Outdoor Nooks and Urban Retreats
From balconies to rooftop terraces, these small spaces boast big design ideas
Urban gardens and balconies can offer true escapism, transporting city dwellers to lush retreats. If you’re looking to transform your own plot or city terrace, take a look at these romantic city gardens from London to Sydney. Each offers design ideas that could be implemented in a garden of any size.
1. Peaceful terrace in London. With doors thrown open, this London cottage welcomes the tranquility of the garden inside. A varied collection of potted plants and a screen of lush bamboo help transform the terrace into a space that feels more secret garden than urban backyard.
Taking advantage of vertical space is a smart design strategy for narrow city gardens surrounded by buildings. If your neighbors approve, work with a professional to blanket the walls of adjacent buildings with vines, or mount hanging baskets or decorative screens to add interest to the walls.
The designer of this garden took advantage of an adjacent brick wall as a vertical canvas — hanging a woven ottoman as a focal point and planting fragrant star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) to fill the wall.
The designer of this garden took advantage of an adjacent brick wall as a vertical canvas — hanging a woven ottoman as a focal point and planting fragrant star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) to fill the wall.
2. Leafy perch in Venice Beach, California. Even though there are no potted plants in sight, this balcony lounge off the master bedroom feels like a lush garden, thanks to the views of neighboring treetops.
Designing small gardens to bring in views — like an area of open sky or a green hedge or tree canopy from a neighbor’s property — can help them feel more expansive.
Designing small gardens to bring in views — like an area of open sky or a green hedge or tree canopy from a neighbor’s property — can help them feel more expansive.
3. Superlush balcony in Paris. A second balcony example shows the power of screening and layers upon layers of foliage to completely seclude a terrace in Paris’ 6th arrondissement.
Stacked on the balcony wall and floor, pots filled with trailing green ivy, Japanese maples and other foliage plants act like a green screen for the surrounding city — replacing rooftops with a lush jungle.
Stacked on the balcony wall and floor, pots filled with trailing green ivy, Japanese maples and other foliage plants act like a green screen for the surrounding city — replacing rooftops with a lush jungle.
On the opposite side of the balcony, mature wisteria vines arch from the wall to enclose a small, built-in seating area — perfect for curling up with a book or morning coffee.
To replicate this bohemian jungle look, use potted plants and well-placed screens to block views of adjacent buildings and transform an exposed space into a secluded nook. Then layer in softness by draping a table with linen and piling throw cushions on seats.
To replicate this bohemian jungle look, use potted plants and well-placed screens to block views of adjacent buildings and transform an exposed space into a secluded nook. Then layer in softness by draping a table with linen and piling throw cushions on seats.
4. Garden room in Japan. Adding a structure to an urban garden is another way to make a space feel more private and secluded — especially if neighboring buildings look down into the garden.
This cobalt-colored garden room in a Japanese show garden could be a backyard escape, no matter the weather. Potted plants surround the doorway, even trailing down from pots on the roof; more tender tropicals grow inside, creating a lush, jungly interior.
This cobalt-colored garden room in a Japanese show garden could be a backyard escape, no matter the weather. Potted plants surround the doorway, even trailing down from pots on the roof; more tender tropicals grow inside, creating a lush, jungly interior.
5. Twinkling retreat in Sydney. A built-in seating nook helps this narrow backyard in Sydney feel cozy and maximizes square footage. Planting pockets in the stone paving and large built-in containers allow space for plenty of plants, softening the area and making it feel like a lush retreat.
Plants include soft ground covers, burgundy-leaved redbud (Cercis sp.), blue-flowering lily of the Nile (Agapanthus sp.), fragrant gardenia and oversized bromeliads. In the evening, soft lighting illuminates the space. The effect is romantic and inviting.
Plants include soft ground covers, burgundy-leaved redbud (Cercis sp.), blue-flowering lily of the Nile (Agapanthus sp.), fragrant gardenia and oversized bromeliads. In the evening, soft lighting illuminates the space. The effect is romantic and inviting.
6. Multilayered garden in Chicago. Lush, varied foliage, winding pathways and multiple levels make for a dynamic city garden in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. The design draws you in and encourages exploration.
On the lower level, beds filled with foliage in purple, deep green, gold and chartreuse form a varied backdrop for garden art and a water feature in the foreground.
On the lower level, beds filled with foliage in purple, deep green, gold and chartreuse form a varied backdrop for garden art and a water feature in the foreground.
Up on the rooftop deck, a stair-stepped raised bed planter allows growing space for a tangle of veggies, herbs, strawberries and figs. The planter also doubles as a leafy screen that blocks the view of the home, making the lounge and seating area feel more private.
7. Urban jungle in London. Layered plantings have transformed this terrace into a space you would sooner expect to find on a tropical vacation than tucked in a London backyard. The designer created the effect by using relatively cold-tolerant tropicals, such as ornamental banana (Musa spp.), tree fern and bamboo, combined with tropical look-alikes, such as trailing nasturtium, which produces hot-orange and yellow blooms in summer.
To emulate this look on a terrace at home, select plants of various heights to fill in the low, middle and upper levels of the garden, including a variety of foliage colors and textures. Use bold printed pillows and a garden sculpture to make the tropical theme hit home.
8. Mini rooftop farm in San Francisco. If losing yourself in a garden means picking fresh salad greens, herbs and tomatoes, this rooftop farm could be the design for you.
Located in San Francisco’s sunny Marina district, the rooftop has a series of custom-made metal raised beds, filled with veggies and set on wheels for easy movement. Other stationary beds are filled with annuals that provide color and attract pollinators to the rooftop.
You can grow most veggies and all herbs in containers — just be sure to use large enough pots, and position them in a spot that receives at least four to six hours of direct sunlight for the plants to thrive.
You can grow most veggies and all herbs in containers — just be sure to use large enough pots, and position them in a spot that receives at least four to six hours of direct sunlight for the plants to thrive.
9. Quiet garden room in Amsterdam. This cozy seating nook behind a canal house in Amsterdam’s historic Canal Ring provides the perfect spot for the homeowners to unwind in the evening. Designed like an outdoor living room, the small backyard features a covered seating area with inviting lights, a small storage shed and pale-flowering perennials that appear to almost float in twilight.
We often think about how we would like to use a space, but more rarely about when we’d like to use it. Designing for the time of day when you most use a garden — whether it’s for daytime entertaining or evening relaxing, or a little of both — will help ensure that you set up the garden to meet your needs. For evening gardens, this includes adding lighting and sources of heat if necessary.
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