A SUBTROPICAL-STYLE GARDEN FOR A
SMALL LONDON YARD
This is a concept design for a small yard in E4, London, that was all patio and artificial lawn and nothing else. The client hated spending time in the space and simply wanted something to encourage her to go outside and make the most of the garden. With the client from Brazil, the idea was to create a lush, layered garden with a nod to home, using plants that will actually survive a London winter. It's a concept rather than a built garden (work due to commence 2027), so what follows is the thinking.
That's the stage a full garden design starts from: working out what the space could be before anyone orders a single plant.
The problem
A flat yard of patio and artificial lawn is easy to build and hard to love. Nothing to look at, nowhere interesting to sit, and the neighbouring property at at the rear boundary looking straight in. Hosting was important to the client, as was a sense of privacy. They wanted to introduce greenery into the garden without a stressful maintenance plan
A bit of Brazil, designed for London
The brief was never to recreate Brazil. That wouldn't work in E4, and it would look like a theme park. Instead the planting borrows the feeling: dense and layered, with bold foliage and contrasting textures, all from hardy plants that suit London's climate. It adds up to something abundant and subtropical without anything dying in January.
The layout
The back door opens onto a winding path that leads through raised beds, so the planting draws you in and you discover the garden as you walk it. The path links three seating areas, each with its own character. That's deliberate. In a small garden, one big seating spot tells you where to sit. Three smaller ones give you a reason to wander, and a choice of mood depending on the time of day.
The coffee spot is an L-shaped bench, intimate and fragrant, tucked into honey bush with Choisya opposite. The reading nook is brighter and more open, catching the evening sun and framed by vibrant Euphorbia. The dining area at the back is quieter and more enclosed, surrounded by layered, woodland-style planting.
Privacy and year-round green
Three multi-stemmed strawberry trees screen the neighbouring property, and evergreen structure keeps the garden green all year. In a small space that matters more than it sounds. When you can see the whole garden from the kitchen window, there's nowhere for a bare winter to hide.
Where it's got to
Excited for the build to start next summer, 2027
If you've got a yard that's mostly paving and not much else, this is what a small space can turn into.
A SUBTROPICAL-STYLE GARDEN FOR A SMALL LONDON YARD
This is a concept design for a small yard in E4, London, that was all patio and artificial lawn and nothing else. The client hated spending time in the space and simply wanted something to encourage her to go outside and make the most of the garden. With the client from Brazil, the idea was to create a lush, layered garden with a nod to home, using plants that will actually survive a London winter. It's a concept rather than a built garden (work due to commence 2027), so what follows is the thinking.
That's the stage a full garden design starts from: working out what the space could be before anyone orders a single plant.
The problem
A flat yard of patio and artificial lawn is easy to build and hard to love. Nothing to look at, nowhere interesting to sit, and the neighbouring property at at the rear boundary looking straight in. Hosting was important to the client, as was a sense of privacy. They wanted to introduce greenery into the garden without a stressful maintenance plan
A bit of Brazil, designed for London
The brief was never to recreate Brazil. That wouldn't work in E4, and it would look like a theme park. Instead the planting borrows the feeling: dense and layered, with bold foliage and contrasting textures, all from hardy plants that suit London's climate. It adds up to something abundant and subtropical without anything dying in January.
The layout
The back door opens onto a winding path that leads through raised beds, so the planting draws you in and you discover the garden as you walk it. The path links three seating areas, each with its own character. That's deliberate. In a small garden, one big seating spot tells you where to sit. Three smaller ones give you a reason to wander, and a choice of mood depending on the time of day.
The coffee spot is an L-shaped bench, intimate and fragrant, tucked into honey bush with Choisya opposite. The reading nook is brighter and more open, catching the evening sun and framed by vibrant Euphorbia. The dining area at the back is quieter and more enclosed, surrounded by layered, woodland-style planting.
Privacy and year-round green
Three multi-stemmed strawberry trees screen the neighbouring property, and evergreen structure keeps the garden green all year. In a small space that matters more than it sounds. When you can see the whole garden from the kitchen window, there's nowhere for a bare winter to hide.
Where it's got to
Excited for the build to start next summer, 2027
If you've got a yard that's mostly paving and not much else, this is what a small space can turn into.
