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Garden Tour: A Series of Lush Areas Make a Small Plot Feel Bigger
This city garden is a masterclass in creating an entertaining space in a small area while still prioritising plants
Having a meal at a leafy rooftop restaurant in east London one day, the owners of this 1980s house fell for the relaxed mood of the casual seating areas and decked walkways amid grasses and climbers, and decided they’d love that look in their garden. So they contacted designer Natasha Nuttall to help them turn their neglected patch into a serene space where they could enjoy being outdoors and entertain with ease.
Undeterred by the tight dimensions of the plot, Natasha cleverly fitted in a lounging area, a dining table, a casual seating spot and an outdoor kitchen, all softened and partially hidden by lush planting.
Undeterred by the tight dimensions of the plot, Natasha cleverly fitted in a lounging area, a dining table, a casual seating spot and an outdoor kitchen, all softened and partially hidden by lush planting.
The plot they inherited wasn’t doing the job. “It was basically a lawn that was failing and a rickety old patio, and the fence was falling down,” Natasha says.
You can see from this photo how narrow the space is. Natasha had to plan carefully to fit in all the elements the owners requested.
Find reviewed garden designers in your area and see photos of their previous projects on Houzz.
You can see from this photo how narrow the space is. Natasha had to plan carefully to fit in all the elements the owners requested.
Find reviewed garden designers in your area and see photos of their previous projects on Houzz.
The trick to slotting so much into a garden, Natasha suggests, is to soften the paving and boundaries with planting. “They’re not huge beds, but I tried to fit in as much as possible and plant quite densely,” she says. “I made sure the planting spilled over the edges to soften the hard landscaped areas.”
She explains that dense planting also helps to expand the space because it creates a bit of mystery; as you walk through the garden, different areas are revealed.
On the corner of this bed by the rear patio is Pittosporum tobira ‘Nanum’, which Natasha says “adds shape but isn’t too formal or fast-growing”. There are also Miscanthus sinensis ‘Starlight’ and evergreen Acorus ogon grasses adding height, softness and movement to the beds.
She explains that dense planting also helps to expand the space because it creates a bit of mystery; as you walk through the garden, different areas are revealed.
On the corner of this bed by the rear patio is Pittosporum tobira ‘Nanum’, which Natasha says “adds shape but isn’t too formal or fast-growing”. There are also Miscanthus sinensis ‘Starlight’ and evergreen Acorus ogon grasses adding height, softness and movement to the beds.
The seating area at the back of the garden can accommodate a crowd. A pergola provides overhead shade for summer days, while a fire pit (just visible on the far left) keeps the area useable in cooler seasons.
There’s summer storage under a lift-up lid within the right-hand section of the bench; in the winter, the cushion pads are stored indoors. “The floating section is underplanted and there’s a light under there, which looks really nice in the evening,” Natasha says.
The owners didn’t need a shed. “They’re not big gardeners, so the storage in the outdoor kitchen and the garage at the front of the house is enough,” she says.
Fragrant climbing plants – jasmine and Akebia quinata (chocolate vine) – growing up the pergola gently scent the area. At the back, evergreen pleached Elaeagnus x ebbingei ‘Compacta’ trees, which have leaves with pretty silvery undersides, create privacy while leaving the lovely texture of the original brick wall on show.
There’s summer storage under a lift-up lid within the right-hand section of the bench; in the winter, the cushion pads are stored indoors. “The floating section is underplanted and there’s a light under there, which looks really nice in the evening,” Natasha says.
The owners didn’t need a shed. “They’re not big gardeners, so the storage in the outdoor kitchen and the garage at the front of the house is enough,” she says.
Fragrant climbing plants – jasmine and Akebia quinata (chocolate vine) – growing up the pergola gently scent the area. At the back, evergreen pleached Elaeagnus x ebbingei ‘Compacta’ trees, which have leaves with pretty silvery undersides, create privacy while leaving the lovely texture of the original brick wall on show.
Pale green mind-your-own-business (Soleirolia soleirolii) adds a velvety note to the hard landscaping.
The garden was lower than the house, so Natasha had to raise it to create a seamless indoor-outdoor feel. “The owners didn’t want any steps,” she says.
This also helped with another problem. “The roots of the big cherry tree next door were coming up through the lawn, so we put root barrier around all the hard landscaped areas,” she says. She then raised the garden above them to align with the back of the house.
The levelling work meant extra material had to be brought into the garden. “There’s a void under the deck near the house, though, so there wasn’t too much area that needed to be built up,” Natasha says. “And luckily, there’s a side entrance!”
This also helped with another problem. “The roots of the big cherry tree next door were coming up through the lawn, so we put root barrier around all the hard landscaped areas,” she says. She then raised the garden above them to align with the back of the house.
The levelling work meant extra material had to be brought into the garden. “There’s a void under the deck near the house, though, so there wasn’t too much area that needed to be built up,” Natasha says. “And luckily, there’s a side entrance!”
The boundary in front of the cherry tree now has a kitchen running along it. The new fence is painted in smart dark grey. “The owners like dark colours – the back doors are black, so we used those as inspiration,” Natasha says.
She chose grey decking boards and tiles. “They wanted low-maintenance materials, so we used porcelain and composite decking,” she says.
The cooker is a Kamado Joe grill. “The husband was really keen on having one and they use it a lot, even in winter,” Natasha says. In order to fit in the large appliance, she designed the kitchen cabinets to be deeper than usual.
Charcoal DesignBoard composite decking; Slab Coke porcelain paving, both London Stone.
She chose grey decking boards and tiles. “They wanted low-maintenance materials, so we used porcelain and composite decking,” she says.
The cooker is a Kamado Joe grill. “The husband was really keen on having one and they use it a lot, even in winter,” Natasha says. In order to fit in the large appliance, she designed the kitchen cabinets to be deeper than usual.
Charcoal DesignBoard composite decking; Slab Coke porcelain paving, both London Stone.
The garden now feels very much part of the house, as this view from the back room shows. The dining table extends, which is perfect for the family, who like to entertain and also, since the pandemic, sometimes work in the garden.
Three tree ferns (there’s a third one at the far end of the kitchen) make nice architectural features in the garden and lead the eye through the space. “Tree ferns usually stay green throughout winter in London, though this year they’ve suffered with the prolonged cold patches and some leaves have gone brown,” Natasha says. “But it doesn’t matter, as in spring, the new leaves will unfold and the old ones can be cut off.”
Dining table, Fermob. Myto chairs in lime green, Plank.
Three tree ferns (there’s a third one at the far end of the kitchen) make nice architectural features in the garden and lead the eye through the space. “Tree ferns usually stay green throughout winter in London, though this year they’ve suffered with the prolonged cold patches and some leaves have gone brown,” Natasha says. “But it doesn’t matter, as in spring, the new leaves will unfold and the old ones can be cut off.”
Dining table, Fermob. Myto chairs in lime green, Plank.
Natasha included lots of evergreen plants. “Even though the design makes it look bigger, the actual space isn’t huge, so I wanted to fill it with things that had a presence most of the year,” she says. “Some things go below ground and there are lots of bulbs, but there are also a lot of things that are leafy year-round.”
The purple-leaved plant seen here is Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’, which can be cut back hard each year or two in order to maintain the desired size and shape.
Other plants include Saxifraga dentata; Persicaria runcinata ‘Purple Fantasy’; Sanguisorba ‘Blackthorn’; Astrantia; hydrangea, and Salvia x jamensis. The little tree in the middle distance is Styrax japonicus ‘Snowcone’.
More: What Will We Want in Our Gardens in 2023?
The purple-leaved plant seen here is Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’, which can be cut back hard each year or two in order to maintain the desired size and shape.
Other plants include Saxifraga dentata; Persicaria runcinata ‘Purple Fantasy’; Sanguisorba ‘Blackthorn’; Astrantia; hydrangea, and Salvia x jamensis. The little tree in the middle distance is Styrax japonicus ‘Snowcone’.
More: What Will We Want in Our Gardens in 2023?
Natasha had to take into account the fact that a garden like this has lots of shady spots. “The sun does move around, but I’ve gone for a lot of shade-tolerant plants, as some areas don’t get very much light,” she says.
She’s taken advantage of the ‘borrowed landscape’ in the form of trees in neighbouring gardens by planting climbers by the fences. The star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) seen here, for instance, is already visually linking with the tree behind and blurring the boundary.
A range of greens through to reddish purple flow beautifully down the garden. “It’s kind of like a tapestry,” Natasha says. “Although I love flowering plants and try to get them in, really what you’re going to be seeing most of the time is the different textures and colours of foliage, and that gives a lovely layered tapestry of planting that makes it look really lush, even in the winter.”
She’s taken advantage of the ‘borrowed landscape’ in the form of trees in neighbouring gardens by planting climbers by the fences. The star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) seen here, for instance, is already visually linking with the tree behind and blurring the boundary.
A range of greens through to reddish purple flow beautifully down the garden. “It’s kind of like a tapestry,” Natasha says. “Although I love flowering plants and try to get them in, really what you’re going to be seeing most of the time is the different textures and colours of foliage, and that gives a lovely layered tapestry of planting that makes it look really lush, even in the winter.”
The garden has a watering system, which is less wasteful than using a hosepipe, as water is delivered to the roots. “We set it to come on either late at night or very early morning, so the water doesn’t just evaporate,” Natasha says.
The lighting is wired in. “It’s just for atmosphere really – it doesn’t light up the whole garden,” she says.
Unsurprisingly, the owners love their new leafy, sociable garden, calling it “an all-year-round delight”.
Tell us…
What do you like best about the way Natasha has transformed this plot? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
The lighting is wired in. “It’s just for atmosphere really – it doesn’t light up the whole garden,” she says.
Unsurprisingly, the owners love their new leafy, sociable garden, calling it “an all-year-round delight”.
Tell us…
What do you like best about the way Natasha has transformed this plot? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
Who lives here? A couple with two teenage daughters
Location Hackney, east London
Property A 1980s mews house
Garden dimensions 5m x 13m
Project year 2021
Designer Natasha Nuttall of Natasha Nuttall Garden Design
Photos by Eleanor Walpole
The owners aren’t keen gardeners, but they did want an easy-maintenance, leafy retreat where they could hang out almost year-round as a family and entertain friends.