Simply stunning
How to create interest in a small suburban plot
AS part of our occasional series on garden design, today we will have a look at a plan to rejuvenate a small suburban courtyard garden.
The house in question has recently benefited from an extension and as is the contemporary way it meant that the view was a lot bigger with a glass frontage.
In this case the house was owned by a mature couple who were stylish and wanted to keep things simple. Their garden was to be a haven, although one which didn’t require a lot of work. They wanted to use the space for entertaining, a suburban Eden to relax in.
With garden design, often the secret is to have one big immediately apparent idea. Too much going on can be too complicated for the eye.
A good design has coherence and so for this garden the primary idea was to create a central gathering space. To add extra interest, and that come hither nudge, I decided on sinking the central area to create a gathering space around a fire bowl. To achieve this I’d need two steps down and towards the end of the garden two steps back up.
At that end, there was an evening sun trap and this needed to be a place where the home owners, when they were in from work, could sit for an hour or so before the sun disappeared.
So what we end up with is a simple relaxed garden, one that hasn’t any areas of high maintenance, no lawns needing mowing, a garden that includes a few up to date touches such as a tank of water planted with floating lilies and enjoyed by some gold fish.
So what does planting in this garden look like? You choose very carefully because with relatively small spaces every plant should have either a job to do or some joy to bring. I’m going to start with a tree and lessen the effect of neighbouring houses by planting an Acacia dealbata which will be fast growing, medium sized and dressed in sulphur yellow flowers at this time of the year. This will be the apex of the design.
I’ll also plant a oriental maple, Acer ‘Osakazuki’ which is always a graceful addition and will provide beautiful autumnal colours.
The wooden fences will be dressed with climbers such as the evergreen Trachelo-spermum jasminoides (star jasmine). This produces a profusion of sweet little white star-shaped flowers which are highly scented and is a very well-behaved plant – it looks neat with or without its flowers, its leaves are nicely shaped, and are a glossy dark green.
The side beds will be planted with easy going herbaceous plants that will bring colour and blossoms to the plot. I’ll use a mix of hardy geraniums, Verbena bonariensis, geums, nepeta, achillea and rudbeckias. There isn’t space for much veg growing but herbs such as prostrate rosemary, sage and thyme can be tucked in amongst the herbaceous plants.
Grasses are low maintenance and provide texture and multiseasonal interest, for example Calamagrostis acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’ has an upright vertical form and lovely blooms of soft seed heads that condense to a neater narrower form over the season.
Box balls will provide evergreen structural planting all year.
By keeping it simple, a pleasing picture is created that can be viewed from the house and a functional, practical outdoor space will ensure the owners enjoy their garden for many years to come.