Situation: Rear, urban court yard garden.

Area: approximately 35m²

Aspect: North East facing.

Environmental conditions: Fully enclosed rear garden with walls and fences of varying heights to all exposed sides. Direct sun on NE positioned patio area in the mid to late afternoon. With morning sun to the East-facing aspect.

Garden uses/users: Self and partner. A garden to sit and spend more time in/relaxation. Used days/evenings/weekends, mostly in the warmer months.

The brief was for a low maintenance sanctuary. Using materials and colours sympathetic to the development and its industrial heritage.

Our clients were very keen to incorporate plants and lots of colour, but admitted they knew very little about plants. So the scheme had to be easy to maintain and provide habitat for wildlife/insects, as well as year round interest. We minimised the environmental impact by embedding natural materials in the design that would last for decades.

The style, materials and colour palette for the new garden were chosen specifically to echo those of the house as well as acknowledging the former industrial heritage of the Laundry Quarter. As this was a very small garden, a pared back palette of colours and materials was equally important in ensuring the overall cohesiveness of the design.

The design layout brings movement and flow into the garden, incorporating a corner seating area to relax and catch the sun, and using curved lines and circular shapes, together with airy planting to complement the industrial looking corten (Core Ten) planters.

Structure is the backbone of design.

Contemporary, elegant materials include use of corten (Core-Ten) steel raised circular planters, which provide architectural structure and height. These are softened by the wispy grasses and trailing perennials. The theme is continued with curved steel edging and a circular steel tree ring. A core-Ten steel waterbowl provides additional interest. Timeless and earthy, warm-hued gravels accentuate the calm design. With the material visually connecting different areas and serving as soothing negative space. There are barefoot-friendly pavers forming a pathway through to the new sun patio area.

Flexible Core-Ten steel edging is used to delineate areas and form curves, such as along the pathway through garden. ‘Wood effect’ porcelain paving slabs match the new sun patio with ‘Flamingo’ gravel surround. This is also planted into with low level, drought resistant sedum plants.

Self binding gravel is used for the hard standing areas around the planters. This stays more firm underfoot compared to traditional loose gravel surfaces and as it is gravel, remains water permeable, which is especially important in urban areas.

Warm bronze colours of corten steel planters complement the industrial heritage and hues of ornamental grasses to perfection as they change to coppers and golds through the seasons.

Planting is what completes a garden.

A beautiful, single stemmed, Amelanchier tree was chosen to act as a focal point while providing dappled shade to the seating area. It was important that the variety of tree chosen would not outgrow the limited space of the garden, as well as providing multi-season interest.

We used different grasses to create, height, softness and movement in the planters. Selected, long flowering perennials intermingle to add splashes of blues, purples and pinks. These pop out throughout the year with contrasting form and texture for added interest. The purples, pinks and blues are the perfect complement, acting as a foil to the coppers and bronzes of the core-ten and the brick from the building.

With attention to climate change and minimal watering requirements, plant species and varieties were chosen that would be drought resistant once established. Furthermore, all were pollinator friendly.