Up on the roof
On top of his Bloomsbury town house, florist Charlie McCormick has created an intimate and colourful roof garden
“People often consider slopes to be a problem in a garden,” says James, “but try to view them as an interesting challenge instead. A flat garden is quite dull, whereas a gradient adds individuality and character.” Here are his top tips to consider: • Terracing – cutting into a hill to make flat areas that you can join by steps is the most common solution to disguise a slope, though planting also works well. You can get away with quite an angle, around 45 degrees, without the soil falling down to the bottom. • If you’re going to have just grass on a slope, make sure it’s not too steep. Either you’ll never get the mower up the hill, or it will take you down it at high speed. • Remember that water flows downhill so you’ll need to install drainage to avoid having a big puddle. Depending on your soil, this could involve French or gravel drains, or, on heavy clay, pipes to take the water off to a nearby ditch or drain. • This same principle means that you’ll need to vary your planting on the slope. Plants at the top will receive less water than those at the bottom, so plant accordingly. • Fast-growing groundcover will help prevent soil erosion. Vincas, persicarias and asarum all work well in this respect.
steadiness, as do a beech hedge enclosing the bouleodrome, and an elegant line of clipped limes running down its length.
While James clearly considers winter structure in his plantings, he’s careful not to include an excess of evergreens. “Too many can make a garden dull in summertime,” he says. “You’re not in the garden much in winter; but you are in summer, so that’s when I want it to look vibrant and full of life and fizz.”
This garden certainly achieves that. In June and early July, when the borders are at their peak, the planting around the courtyard seems to combine with that of the bed directly above it, creating a towering wall of colour. James’s use of tall plants, aided by the slope and tricks of perspective, help to conceal different parts of the house and garden, adding to the feeling of surprise and delight as you explore it. In the courtyard – and even from the upstairs windows of the house – you’re barely aware of the garden beyond the first border. The wide grass terrace is so unexpected it appears to hide in plain sight and, at some points towards the back of the garden, only the roof of the house emerges from above the froth of plants. “I like this garden because you can enjoy it from so many different directions,” says James. “Planting is one of the best ways to conceal a slope. It’s always fun seeing a garden come together.” USEFUL INFORMATION James Alexander-Sinclair is hosting the BBC Gardeners’ World Live Theatre at Birmingham NEC from 14-17 June, where he will be in conversation with other garden experts. bbcgardenersworldlive.com You can find out more about James’s work at jamesalexandersinclair.com