CHOOSING A WATER FEATURE
The sound of trickling water is particularly lovely in an urban setting. Water features, ranging from small pools to larger cascades, are now available off the shelf, but before choosing you should consider siting, operation and maintenance.
A shady spot is best for a small cascade, as direct sunlight leads to the build-up of algae. If you need to put the water feature in the sun, then cover two-thirds of the surface with planting such as water lilies. Also, surround the feature with planting, so the water will be heard before it’s seen, and to create a more naturalistic effect.
Pumps to circulate the water can be operated by solar power, but if you’re going to use electricity, you may need to consult a professional electrician. If you don’t want to connect to the mains water supply, choose a feature that you can easily top up with water yourself.
The damp SHADY WALL was the perfect spot for a WATER FEATURE, while FERNS were the ideal signature plant
dining space with a barbecue, and a shady seating spot. For gorgeous white blossom in spring and early autumn foliage colour, a snowy mespilus (Amelanchier lamarckii) stands in each of three beds edged with corten steel, the colour of Barcelona soil. The water feature is triangular, as is the corten pot containing a wall-trained fig. This container acts like an arrow, pointing from the indoor to outdoor dining areas. A vertical panel in the kitchen of ferns, devil’s ivy, Philodendron xanadu and peace lilies picks up on the scrambling hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala subsp petiolaris) and star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) on the garden walls. The closed window frames are echoed by the star jasmineclad uprights of the pergola, while a wisteria-covered wire runs around the garden at window-frame height.
A PERFECT PLACE TO RELAX
Trellising, providing privacy and a framework for climbers, follows the brickwork line at 1.70m, a line continued and highlighted by staining in the wood-panelled dining area. The canopy of the amelanchier is also cut to the same level, creating an overall effect of simplicity and cohesion between house and garden. The beds are sunk below the corten edging, with evergreen plants chosen for year-round interest and for their form and texture. Hart’s tongue ferns (Asplenium scolopendrium) are planted like stepping stones through ground cover of mind-your-own-business and Persicaria affinis ‘Superba’. Laid in diagonal lines, the ferns counteract the grid structure to slow down a garden walk. In the sunniest bed, changes are rung by seasonal planting, with chestnut bearded irises and white London Pride (Saxifraga x urbium) for spring and early summer, followed by Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’, Perovskia ‘Blue Spire’ and Liriope muscari ‘Money Maker’, and then white Japanese anemones and blue aconitums in late summer and autumn. Water ripples over the striated corten, the gentle sound making it easy to forget you’re in London. Nuria and Charles love the way the small pool acts as a magnet for birds, while Sarcococca confusa Christmas box, provides winter blossom for bees. The couple love looking after their garden, learning as they go along, and enjoying the indoor-outdoor connection it gives – on all but the coldest days, the windows are pulled back. ‘It’s where we want to be,’ says Nuria. During the pandemic, this space proved to be a further blessing. Nuria and Charles had to cancel their wedding plans and decided instead to marry in the garden. The triangular table in the sitting area was a perfect altar. ‘It was,’ says Nuria, ‘just wonderful to get married in this gorgeous space we’ve created together.’