Mini meadow

For this garden in north London, designer Jenny Bloom drew inspiration from the unusually wild landscape on its fringes

An urban plot borrows from a neighbouring landscape of wildflowers and grass for a naturalistic feel

In small city gardens, it can be hard to tap into any sense of genius loci. But this plot nestles up against the wildflower-strewn banks of a north London reservoir and wetland. Along with a charming cob summer house, built by the previous owners, these banks form the vista of the garden. This unique character convinced the current owners, Emma and David Barker, to move here – and persuaded garden designer Jenny Bloom to take on the project. For all its charm, the garden had become crowded with a tangle of tall trees that shaded the whole space, while the boundary on one side was a mess of breeze block, brick and wire that only served to lead the eye towards the seven-storey block of flats beyond.

Jenny also had to reconcile the family’s seemingly contradictory wishes for their garden. While the two young children wanted somewhere to play, including a lawn for ball games, David wanted the space to feel neat, orderly and restful while Emma wanted to retain the garden’s wild ambience. “The questions Jenny asked were so helpful in drawing out what we wanted and enabling us all to see the possibilities,” recalls Emma.

Taking the neighbouring wilderness as her inspiration, Jenny decided on a curvilinear plan to play down the garden’s elongated quadrilateral shape and to open up the centre of the space with a lawn. The existing mature trees – including birch, ash, hawthorn, cherry, pear and bay – were sensitively pruned to bring more light into the garden while continuing to provide

screening. A tall timber fence, stained black, was installed to screen the ugly boundary and act as a backdrop for planting.

Jenny created a serpentine boardwalk that meanders through a haze of planting, culminating in a seating area. Slightly elevated and edged with a fascia, it takes on a sculptural quality, allowing the visitor to feel as though they are floating through the planting. “This key feature adds definition to the space and helps bring everything together,” explains Jenny.

Jenny brought the wetland into the garden by using plants inspired by those growing on the bank beyond. “In London, you can’t often borrow a landscape of wildflowers and grasses, so I wanted to incorporate this into the garden by creating a perennial wildflower meadow at the end of the lawn, blurring the boundary between the garden and the wild landscape beyond,” she explains.

She was also keen to use the ‘cultivated cousins’ of the neighbouring wildflowers in this project. Plants such as Deschampsia cespitosa ‘Goldtau’ and Cenolophium denudatum are woven through the rest of the soft, romantic planting scheme, which also features strawberry foxglove (Digitalis x mertonensis), Campanula persicifolia and Allium cristophii, that repeat throughout the garden.“They add rhythm and unity,” says Jenny. Opting for a colour palette of white, pale pink, purple and blue, with some hotter accent colours, Jenny selected many plants for their long flowering periods, including Persicaria bistorta ‘Superba’ and white gaura (Oenothera lindheimeri). “Every plant has to earn its place in a small garden.”

The family is delighted with the end result. “It feels spacious, restful and wild at the same time,” says Emma. “We are surrounded by green and by nature. It’s a hidden space in the middle of the city.”

Jenny selected many plants for their long flowering periods. “Every plant has to earn its place in a small garden”

A raised boardwalk meanders from the house to the rear of the garden, where the mature trees have been carefully pruned to increase light. To unite the wild area with the rest of the garden, Jenny has opted for tall, airy plants including Echinacea pallida, Oenothera lindheimeri and Verbena bonariensis.

3 A mix of softer planting beneath an old flowering cherry includes Thalictrum ‘Black Stockings’, Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Lanarth White’, Astrantia ‘Roma’ and Spiraea japonica ‘Goldflame’;

2 Ethereal Echinacea pallida and the purple spires of Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’, with Allium cristophii and the dark foliage of Cotinus ‘Grace’;

Above A row of multi-stemmed bay trees creates a pleasing linear effect against the black fence while textural plants, including Persicaria bistorta Alchemilla mollis and Hakonechloa macra, soften the edges of the curving boardwalk from Millboard.

4 The black fence creates a backdrop for this Acer palmatum ‘Trompenburg’;

Clockwise from right 1 The planting takes its inspiration from the wild area beyond the garden. In the shade of the cob house is Hydrangea quercifolia, Digitalis x mertonensis, Luzula nivea and Polystichum setiferum;

5 A gently bubbling Urbis water feature surrounded by plants, including Matteuccia struthiopteris and Erigeron karvinskianus.

The Millboard boardwalk is laid flush with the reclaimed York stone paved area by the house and they share the same soft, beige tones, for a seamless sense of flow. The vivid blues of Campanula persicifolia and Geranium Rozanne (= ‘Gerwat’) leap out against the rich-green foliage.