UK Garden Tour: A New Formal Design for a Tricky-Shaped Garden
This elegant garden was once a series of unconnected zones – now it has a focal point and beautiful spaces to entertain
There were many design challenges to overcome when creating this lush, inviting and secluded urban garden in London, UK. The main challenge was its shape, which forms a perimeter around almost the entire detached house. “The plot comprised a number of unconnected zones: a narrow front garden path, a main lawn, which struggled in a semi-shady triangular space, and another narrow, shady space leading to a dark and poky ‘back garden’ area,” says designer Charlotte Rowe.
Photos & Advice
Garden at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple
Location: London, UK
Property: A detached, Norman Shaw-designed Arts and Crafts house
Garden size: In total, just over 300 square metres. The garden runs around the house and includes a long, thin plot along the facade, a small terrace at the back, a winding path, and a triangular section.
Designer: Charlotte Rowe of Charlotte Rowe Garden Design
The plan was to create two main spaces – a dining area off the kitchen at the back of the house and a secluded seating area in the largest section of garden, the above-mentioned triangular space at the front of the house. As every part of the garden (not just these two sections) is overlooked by various windows on the ground floor, the pathways between these areas had to be equally lovely to look at.
Who lives here: A couple
Location: London, UK
Property: A detached, Norman Shaw-designed Arts and Crafts house
Garden size: In total, just over 300 square metres. The garden runs around the house and includes a long, thin plot along the facade, a small terrace at the back, a winding path, and a triangular section.
Designer: Charlotte Rowe of Charlotte Rowe Garden Design
The plan was to create two main spaces – a dining area off the kitchen at the back of the house and a secluded seating area in the largest section of garden, the above-mentioned triangular space at the front of the house. As every part of the garden (not just these two sections) is overlooked by various windows on the ground floor, the pathways between these areas had to be equally lovely to look at.
This ‘before’ photo shows the main triangular area of the garden as it was. Rowe turned it into an elegant seating area.
Here is the same area after the redesign (seen from a different angle).
“We instilled symmetry in this part of the garden by putting a square area inside the triangle for socialising and sitting in,” says Rowe. “The rest of the triangle is planting. It gives you privacy and a sense of order.”
This is the largest part of the unusually shaped overall garden, and is situated to the left of the house, at the front.
Need expert help designing your garden? Find a landscape architect or designer near you on Houzz
“We instilled symmetry in this part of the garden by putting a square area inside the triangle for socialising and sitting in,” says Rowe. “The rest of the triangle is planting. It gives you privacy and a sense of order.”
This is the largest part of the unusually shaped overall garden, and is situated to the left of the house, at the front.
Need expert help designing your garden? Find a landscape architect or designer near you on Houzz
The seating area shown with lighting on, highlighting the trees.
This view of the space shows the wall seen in the second picture.
Rowe and the owners decided against a lawn, as there isn’t enough sunlight, exacerbated by an existing mimosa tree. Instead, she suggested a mix of gravel and paving.
Pale grey Spanish limestone paving and limestone gravel help brighten up the area, while planted rills (pictured below in detail) and yew hedging break up the space and add to the sense of order.
To boost privacy here, Rowe also planted multi-stem trees, including Parrotia persica and Amelanchier lamarckii, along the boundaries.
A narrow strip of garden continues out of the other side of this area up the side of the house and leads to a utility area Rowe created, where there’s space for bins.
Rowe and the owners decided against a lawn, as there isn’t enough sunlight, exacerbated by an existing mimosa tree. Instead, she suggested a mix of gravel and paving.
Pale grey Spanish limestone paving and limestone gravel help brighten up the area, while planted rills (pictured below in detail) and yew hedging break up the space and add to the sense of order.
To boost privacy here, Rowe also planted multi-stem trees, including Parrotia persica and Amelanchier lamarckii, along the boundaries.
A narrow strip of garden continues out of the other side of this area up the side of the house and leads to a utility area Rowe created, where there’s space for bins.
A close-up of one of the planted rills and gravel.
Browse beautiful gardens with unique landscape design ideas
Browse beautiful gardens with unique landscape design ideas
Rowe’s plan for the garden.
The main seating area seen in previous photos is the large, triangular-shaped area pictured bottom-left. The front door is at the bottom-middle of the drawing. The dark green squares in rows are the hedges. The square at the top-right of the drawing, below the garage, is a paved dining area.
The main seating area seen in previous photos is the large, triangular-shaped area pictured bottom-left. The front door is at the bottom-middle of the drawing. The dark green squares in rows are the hedges. The square at the top-right of the drawing, below the garage, is a paved dining area.
This ‘before’ view of the long, narrow strip that runs in front of the house shows the formal look this part of the garden originally had. Rowe maintained the grand bay hedging and its arch, but filled the beds with lush, soft planting and created a paler, less-formal gravel path.
This is the same area now. The arch in the bay hedge at the far end leads to the main part of the garden containing the seating, just pictured. The front door to the house is beneath the little tiled roof.
“This is the sunny part of the garden and also the front entrance, so the first thing you see when you arrive. It needed to be richly planted,” says Rowe.
Planting in this section includes Alchemilla mollis; Sedum ‘Matrona’; Libertia grandiflora, and Hebe parviflora var. angustifolia.
“This is the sunny part of the garden and also the front entrance, so the first thing you see when you arrive. It needed to be richly planted,” says Rowe.
Planting in this section includes Alchemilla mollis; Sedum ‘Matrona’; Libertia grandiflora, and Hebe parviflora var. angustifolia.
This view shows the same part of the garden looking the other way.
This is the section of garden immediately beyond the hedging arch. To the right is the sitting area.
This shows the view looking back through the bay arch. Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’ blooms on the right.
Another narrow stretch of garden runs up the other side of the house. Two oversize decorative urns on the left replaced a water feature and provide a focal point, as the drawing room window overlooks them.
As it’s dark in this spot, shade-loving plants, including Hebe parviflora var. angustifolia and Dryopteris wallichiana (alpine wood fern), were planted here. Low down, Hakonechloa macra, an ornamental grass, spills from the beds across the path, softening the line.
At the end of this strip, just behind where this picture was taken from and also accessible from the back of the house, is a paved dining area.
As it’s dark in this spot, shade-loving plants, including Hebe parviflora var. angustifolia and Dryopteris wallichiana (alpine wood fern), were planted here. Low down, Hakonechloa macra, an ornamental grass, spills from the beds across the path, softening the line.
At the end of this strip, just behind where this picture was taken from and also accessible from the back of the house, is a paved dining area.
The dining area as it looked before Rowe’s redesign.
Here, you get a glimpse of the new dining area. Situated at the back of the house, between the kitchen and garage, this had previously been a shady, under-used space. “It was dark and gloomy. [The owners] thought they’d never use it, but now they do,” says Rowe.
To lighten it, Rowe substantially pruned back a large Magnolia grandiflora. The pale paving also helps lighten up the area, as does more organised planting.
The plants here include Hebe parviflora var. angustifolia; Polystichum setiferum ‘Pulcherrimum Bevis’, and clematis and jasmine climbing up the walls.
To lighten it, Rowe substantially pruned back a large Magnolia grandiflora. The pale paving also helps lighten up the area, as does more organised planting.
The plants here include Hebe parviflora var. angustifolia; Polystichum setiferum ‘Pulcherrimum Bevis’, and clematis and jasmine climbing up the walls.
The dining area as seen from above. The door on the left leads into the garage.
This is the view to the left as you come out of the home’s front door. The passageways between the main parts of the garden are punctuated by a series of limestone strips and planted rills, in which Galium odoratum grows.
Right next to the front door (the brickwork of which is visible here on the right), Rowe added a large, low herb container as a focal point.
Your turn
What ideas could you take from this unique garden for your own outdoor area? Tell us in the Comments below, like this story, save the images for inspiration, and join the conversation.
More
Fancy a peek inside a beautiful Australian garden? Don’t miss this Garden Tour: A Magical Garden Full of Surprises
Your turn
What ideas could you take from this unique garden for your own outdoor area? Tell us in the Comments below, like this story, save the images for inspiration, and join the conversation.
More
Fancy a peek inside a beautiful Australian garden? Don’t miss this Garden Tour: A Magical Garden Full of Surprises
I wonder about the maintenance of the gravelled areas. I think they would take a lot of weeding and topping up to keep looking so good.
It was a good idea to decide against lawn at the back as a struggling lawn never looks good.
I am not sure what I think about the rills, especially those of different lengths.