Garden of the Week
This beautiful, small, London patch has been ‘sculpted’ into a cottage-style garden that has a slightly Bohemian feel about it
What do you do when your new garden presents you with thick London clay soil, lots of shade, a steep slope towards the house, not much interest and hardly any room to swing the proverbial cat? Obviously, you get creative, which is exactly what Nigel Ragg and Heather Hampson did when they moved to Springfield Avenue four years ago. Yes, just four years ago!
Interestingly, the garden was a major factor in the decision to buy their flat. “We thought it had huge potential, because it did contain established trees and bushes with character. It just lacked any style or creativity, had very little planting and was very neglected,” says Heather.
It also had two gorgeous apple trees, which they integrated into the overall design, a white mophead hydrangea, which has since become a firm favourite, and a climbing rose that now resides on the rose arch in the middle of the garden.
Once they moved in, there was nothing for it but to get down to some major renovations. First to go were the old, neglected leylandii at the top of the plot. This was followed by terracing the slope, to make the garden more level and manageable, which was a huge job for Nigel,
along with a couple of helpers. Soil from the top terrace was moved down to the bottom to reduce the overall incline. This took them around three months to complete.
The original lawn areas did prove to be a bit of a stumbling block. Although not everyone’s favourite, Nigel and Heather replaced the lawn with artificial grass. Luckily, these days, there’s now some fabulously realistic ‘plastic turf’ available.
“We gave up on trying to grow a lawn after the first two years. The clay soil and shade made it impossible to get a good lawn and it was absolutely hopeless, despite several attempts at reseeding and returfing.
“The artificial grass allows us to use the garden year-round, as it dries out so quickly. It’s easy to
look after and surrounding plants can tumble over and soften the edges, without killing the grass underneath!” Nigel adds.
Now the garden is divided into four terraces. On the top level there’s a pastel green painted summerhouse – which is now Nigel’s art studio where he indulges in his hobby, creating pen and ink and watercolour artworks – and a toolshed. This leads down to a paved terrace, which contains a water feature, various shrubs, including a lovely pieris, an olive tree and a shaded area, perfect for al fresco lunches. The next level down is planted with perennials, climbing plants, including a wisteria and honeysuckles, and underplantings of ferns and hostas – two of the couple’s favourite groups of plants.
As the garden backs onto The Grove, an old wooded area in the grounds of Alexandra Palace, Nigel and Heather have ‘borrowed’ this as a great backdrop from which to plan, arrange and plant their large array of perennials.
“We wanted to be able to view them from the large bi-folding kitchen doors with the aim of making the garden an extension of the house,” says Heather.
The garden now fully fulfils its intended role – somewhere for relaxation, contemplation, entertainment, pleasure and to encourage wildlife.
“We have a huge amount and variety of birdlife in the garden. We provide places where birds can nest and there are plenty of feeders. Squirrel-proof ones are important for us,” says Nigel.
They grow suitable wildlifefriendly plants for bees and other pollinators, and Nigel has made an insect hotel from an old wooden wine crate, filled with rolls of bamboo lawn edging bought from the local pound shop. The garden also boasts a hedgehog and even a lizard.
Every garden is very much a personal space to enjoy and have a bit of fun, and Nigel and Heather have personalised theirs, incorporating many of the things they love.
The planting uses a great deal of complementary colour schemes with lots of pinks and purples with flashes of orange and aubergine foliage. This is complemented with an abundance of greenery, including a predominance of ferns, hostas and climbing plants. “We think it has the
feel of a cottage garden, but with a slightly Bohemian air,” Nigel says.
“In our small garden, longflowering plants are very important,” says Heather. “Geums, climbing roses, salvia ‘Hot Lips’, Verbena bonariensis and cosmos provide months of interest. And while phlox and peonies are gorgeous, they only last a few weeks.” Even the colourful dining furniture provides a splash of colour.
Numerous ornaments, many made by Nigel, provide further personal interest. A wooden stand is adorned with lanterns and pebbles. “I’ve always had a fascination with flotsam and jetsam you find on the beach. We’ve collected stones from various beaches around the world we’ve visited. It just seemed right to display them in the garden. I’ve also made mobiles from pieces of wood and shells found on beaches and these are hanging from the apple trees.”
There’s even what I describe as their ‘plant label tree’ – an obelisk decorated with plant labels. “This is our novel way to illustrate and reference the plants in the garden to help our visitors to identify them,” says Nigel.