COURTYARD GARDEN

ss9

This lovely couple needed a clean space for their puppy to play, large storage for sports equipment and something to look at all year round. Their terraced house was on a steep hill and provided sea views from the garden, an outlook that was essential to keep.

Client comments: “Sarah designed a complete garden reconstruction (hard landscaping and planting). We had a lot of requirements - in a small garden - and Sarah met them all. The day the planting went in, I stood at the patio door and couldn’t stop looking at the garden… I probably stood there for an hour! I loved it so much. This morning, I sat out in the garden for breakfast (which I would NEVER have done before) and thought… it’s exactly what I always wanted. Sarah understood what we wanted to achieve and I’m really happy we trusted her judgment on the best way to make it real. The design and the planting work brilliantly. Couldn’t be happier.”

My immediate vision for this space, was to create a garden of pathways, centred around a large focal bed. Allowing the lawn to remain was not an option in this design, as space was at a premium. Because of the slope in the garden it was split into 2 levels, the upper section was ideal for a composite decked platform providing the perfect coastal vista. Warm wood and dark walnut clay pavers kept a cosy feel to the space, which was enhanced by the addition of a stunning corten steel storage unit, complete with planted roof. This acted as an additional focal point to really make the best use of all the space, as it was in full view from the kitchen and dinning room.

A small mature Olive tree was placed at the hub, the crown intentionally kept compact, so as not to disturb the sea view.

The plant palette was kept simple, a good mix of evergreens and perennials that had a long flowering period for this location. Plants used include: Hylotelephium 'Ruby Glow’, Salvia rosmarinus Prostratus, Sanguisorba officialis, Tulbaghia violacea, Gaura lindheimeri, Trachelospermum jasminoides, Geranium sanguineum, Allium Purple Sensation, Calamagrostis acutiflora Karl Foerster,  Centranthus ruber,  Erigeron karvinskianus,  Euphorbia characias subsp wulfenii, Salvia subg. Perovskia Little Spire, Verbena bonariensis.