A vertical garden or green wall is the perfect way to bring life into the home and lighten up an otherwise unusable space. This Vertical garden installation in a small atrium, was part of our modernist styled courtyard project. The natural stone and bold green foilage invoke the midcentury spirit.

Photo of a small contemporary backyard full sun xeriscape in San Francisco with a vertical garden and concrete pavers.

The Spa, spa deck, water feature and greenwall.
Inspiration for a small contemporary backyard full sun garden in San Francisco with a vertical garden and decking.

Pro Colour Photography
Design ideas for a small contemporary backyard partial sun garden for summer in London with a vertical garden and natural stone pavers.

Chelsea Creek is the pinnacle of sophisticated living, these penthouse collection gardens, featuring stunning contemporary exteriors are London’s most elegant new dockside development, by St George Central London, they are due to be built in Autumn 2014 Following on from the success of her stunning contemporary Rooftop Garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2012, Patricia Fox was commissioned by St George to design a series of rooftop gardens for their Penthouse Collection in London. Working alongside Tara Bernerd who has designed the interiors, and Broadway Malyon Architects, Patricia and her team have designed a series of London rooftop gardens, which although individually unique, have an underlying design thread, which runs throughout the whole series, providing a unified scheme across the development. Inspiration was taken from both the architecture of the building, and from the interiors, and Aralia working as Landscape Architects developed a series of Mood Boards depicting materials, features, art and planting. This groundbreaking series of London rooftop gardens embraces the very latest in garden design, encompassing quality natural materials such as corten steel, granite and shot blasted glass, whilst introducing contemporary state of the art outdoor kitchens, outdoor fireplaces, water features and green walls. Garden Art also has a key focus within these London gardens, with the introduction of specially commissioned pieces for stone sculptures and unique glass art. The linear hard landscape design, with fluid rivers of under lit glass, relate beautifully to the linearity of the canals below. The design for the soft landscaping schemes were challenging – the gardens needed to be relatively low maintenance, they needed to stand up to the harsh environment of a London rooftop location, whilst also still providing seasonality and all year interest. The planting scheme is linear, and highly contemporary in nature, evergreen planting provides all year structure and form, with warm rusts and burnt orange flower head’s providing a splash of seasonal colour, complementary to the features throughout. Finally, an exquisite lighting scheme has been designed by Lighting IQ to define and enhance the rooftop spaces, and to provide beautiful night time lighting which provides the perfect ambiance for entertaining and relaxing in. Aralia worked as Landscape Architects working within a multi-disciplinary consultant team which included Architects, Structural Engineers, Cost Consultants and a range of sub-contractors.

Design ideas for a small tropical backyard partial sun formal garden for summer in Sydney with decking and a vertical garden.

A small but effective barrel sauna overlooking the planted wall.
Inspiration for a small contemporary backyard shaded garden in London with a vertical garden.

Living wall with ferns, grasses and flowering plants
Inspiration for a small modern backyard shaded garden in London with a vertical garden and a wood fence.

Diseño del patio de un Hotel en Filipinas. Usamos alambre y bambú.
Inspiration for a small asian courtyard partial sun driveway in Madrid with a vertical garden, concrete pavers and a stone fence.

Round the corner a bespoke floating bench sits over a pebble shadow with lighting underneath.
This is an example of a small modern backyard full sun formal garden for summer in London with a vertical garden and gravel.

The homeowner turned an otherwise useless space under the stairs into a charming niche by hanging a bent wood swing. Design by Mary Kirk Menefee; installation by Merrifield Garden Center. Photo: Mary Kirk Menefee

Manolo Langis Photographer
Photo of a small beach style courtyard full sun garden in Los Angeles with a vertical garden and natural stone pavers.

Courtyard makeover with green wall to hide an AC unit. New paving, pottery with Citrus tree and low water planting.
Design ideas for a small contemporary courtyard partial sun garden in Orange County with a vertical garden.

Design ideas for a small traditional courtyard partial sun formal garden in Adelaide with a vertical garden and concrete pavers.

Mangaris wooden deck with Concrete finish with Top cast light etch. Water feature surrounded by succulents and low voltage lights. Concrete fire pit and vertical succulents wall.

Adam Shepherd
Photo of a small contemporary backyard partial sun garden for summer in London with a vertical garden and natural stone pavers.

A basement courtyard garden reached from the first floor via an iron stairway. Shade is provided by a metal arbour, beneath which sits a stone table, urns and metal chairs. Natural flagstones continue the traditional theme and the whole feeling is one of shade and coolness.

Small modern backyard partial sun garden in London with a vertical garden for summer.

Space Within is a RHS Gold Medal Winning, Peoples Choice, Best in Show garden at RHS Chatsworth 2019. The garden provides a space in which to escape the hectic outside world for a moment of calm within nature