Landscape Design
Patio of the Week
Yard of the Week: Plants and Salvaged Finds Beautify a Shady Spot
Recycled plants, pre-loved pots, antiques and a considered mix of textures and colors add character to a London backyard
When landscape designer Jilayne Rickards was hired to work on this shady urban plot in North London, it had already been landscaped, and a patio and gravel area were in place. Some established bamboo and a large apple tree also were in situ, but the plot had very few other plants.
The homeowner liked Rickards’ planting style and wanted to work with a designer. “She liked the combination of white and purple, and had an idea of what she wanted but not how to achieve it — her plant knowledge wasn’t that strong,” Rickards says. “She wanted something bespoke and individual that reflected her character and her house, which is gorgeous.” Also, basically everything for the project was either purchased secondhand or reused from the existing space. And “nothing went to landfill” either, Rickards says.
The homeowner liked Rickards’ planting style and wanted to work with a designer. “She liked the combination of white and purple, and had an idea of what she wanted but not how to achieve it — her plant knowledge wasn’t that strong,” Rickards says. “She wanted something bespoke and individual that reflected her character and her house, which is gorgeous.” Also, basically everything for the project was either purchased secondhand or reused from the existing space. And “nothing went to landfill” either, Rickards says.
One of the first tasks was to deal with a rather uninspiring fence, which Rickards painted black. “When you have shade, people tend to think, ‘I must brighten it up,’ but there are other ways to do that,” she says. “The dark fence gives mystery and makes things pop out.”
The center of the yard was filled with gravel before Rickards started work on the project, and the decking at the back was already there. At the bottom of the apple tree was low-growing bamboo (Pleioblastus sp.), and at the top was a treehouse — the base of which she repurposed into a planting platform for pots.
A dense screen of black bamboo (Phyllostachys nigra, USDA zones 7 to 11; find your zone) was also already present, seen here on the left; it hides a shed.
In the top-right corner of the yard, Rickards added a Japanese maple (Acer palmatum, zones 5 to 8), one of many purple features in the plantings. She put two more of these in the landscape. “I used three to form a triangle and to create balance and connection,” she says. “There’s repeat planting throughout the [landscape], which unifies the whole and adds a sort of rhythm.”
This photo illustrates Rickard’s successional planting scheme. The fluffy white flowers are Astilbe; the white spires in bud in the foreground are Aconite, which flowers in the late summer and early autumn. “This photo was taken mid to late summer, and the Aconite comes out later in the year, flowering until early autumn,” the designer says.
How to Create a Beautiful Shade Garden
The center of the yard was filled with gravel before Rickards started work on the project, and the decking at the back was already there. At the bottom of the apple tree was low-growing bamboo (Pleioblastus sp.), and at the top was a treehouse — the base of which she repurposed into a planting platform for pots.
A dense screen of black bamboo (Phyllostachys nigra, USDA zones 7 to 11; find your zone) was also already present, seen here on the left; it hides a shed.
In the top-right corner of the yard, Rickards added a Japanese maple (Acer palmatum, zones 5 to 8), one of many purple features in the plantings. She put two more of these in the landscape. “I used three to form a triangle and to create balance and connection,” she says. “There’s repeat planting throughout the [landscape], which unifies the whole and adds a sort of rhythm.”
This photo illustrates Rickard’s successional planting scheme. The fluffy white flowers are Astilbe; the white spires in bud in the foreground are Aconite, which flowers in the late summer and early autumn. “This photo was taken mid to late summer, and the Aconite comes out later in the year, flowering until early autumn,” the designer says.
How to Create a Beautiful Shade Garden
Before: The pale fence lacked intrigue in the shady plot.
Before: Here is the space prior to the project.
After: Looking at the treehouse platform from the other side, you get a glimpse of the patio. Its gray sandstone and red brick edging are picked up in planters and features around the yard.
The pots on the treehouse platform contain ferns (Dryopteris filix-mas, zones 4 to 8, and Polystichum setiferum, zones 6 to 9), hostas (‘Whirlwind’ and ‘Halcyon’, both zones 3 to 8) and some ivy, added by the owner, along with some artful angel wings found in a shop on East London’s Columbia Road, famous for its flower market.
‘Pam’s Choice’ foxglove (Digitalis purpurea ‘Pam’s Choice’, zones 4 to 8) picks up the purple-and-white theme in the back-right side of the yard. “It’s my favorite foxglove,” Rickard says.
Behind it she planted variegated Tatarian dogwood (Cornus alba ‘Elegantissima’, zones 2 to 8). “This has a lovely creamy white margin [on the leaves] and helps to light up a dark corner no end,” she says. “In the winter, you get nice red stems.”
The tip of some lime green lady’s mantle (Alchemilla mollis, zones 3 to 8) is just visible at the bottom. “It loves the shade, and its beautiful scalloped leaves also brighten up dark corners,” the designer says.
Behind it she planted variegated Tatarian dogwood (Cornus alba ‘Elegantissima’, zones 2 to 8). “This has a lovely creamy white margin [on the leaves] and helps to light up a dark corner no end,” she says. “In the winter, you get nice red stems.”
The tip of some lime green lady’s mantle (Alchemilla mollis, zones 3 to 8) is just visible at the bottom. “It loves the shade, and its beautiful scalloped leaves also brighten up dark corners,” the designer says.
One of the trio of Japanese maples, which grow well in dappled light, is planted in a secondhand dolly tub (a galvanized metal container traditionally used for hand-washing).
Spent purple alliums remain pretty in the foreground. “When the canopy on the apple tree isn’t there, you have an array of bulbs that will do well. They’ll get enough sun to produce flowers,” Rickards says.
Beneath the alliums is a mix of white-and-purple cranesbill (Geranium phaeum, zones 5 to 7) varieties and ‘Honorine Jobert’ anemone (Anemone x hybrida ‘Honorine Jobert’, zones 4 to 8).
Spent purple alliums remain pretty in the foreground. “When the canopy on the apple tree isn’t there, you have an array of bulbs that will do well. They’ll get enough sun to produce flowers,” Rickards says.
Beneath the alliums is a mix of white-and-purple cranesbill (Geranium phaeum, zones 5 to 7) varieties and ‘Honorine Jobert’ anemone (Anemone x hybrida ‘Honorine Jobert’, zones 4 to 8).
You get a great sense from this angle of the varied contrasts among all the different types of foliage.
This rusting antique bench came from a secondhand market. It’s filled with pots of succulents and a decorative terra-cotta ball.
Rickards reused all the owners’ original pots and sourced lots more, along with other features for the landscape, from antique markets. “We bought nothing new,” she says. “All the artifacts were reclaimed or repurposed.”
Even the plants were chosen for longevity. “We don’t generally use annuals unless they’re self-seeders in the kind of [landscape] where they can self-seed where they please,” she says.
Here, near the house — where there’s more sun — there’s lavender (Lavandula sp.) and a weathered old planter that houses a saxifrage (Saxifraga sp.) surrounded by decorative stones. “The stones help to suppress weeds and also act as a mulch,” Rickards says. “They also link the planters with the gravel, helping to unify the [landscape].”
How to Get More Plants Free
Even the plants were chosen for longevity. “We don’t generally use annuals unless they’re self-seeders in the kind of [landscape] where they can self-seed where they please,” she says.
Here, near the house — where there’s more sun — there’s lavender (Lavandula sp.) and a weathered old planter that houses a saxifrage (Saxifraga sp.) surrounded by decorative stones. “The stones help to suppress weeds and also act as a mulch,” Rickards says. “They also link the planters with the gravel, helping to unify the [landscape].”
How to Get More Plants Free
A large, fern-filled green pot adds foliage to the decked area. In front of it, the color theme continues in the form of ‘Palace Purple’ crevice alumroot (Heuchera micrantha ‘Palace Purple’, zones 5 to 10) and delicate Bowman’s root (Gillenia trifoliata, zones 4 to 8).
The third Japanese maple is also in a dolly tub, underplanted with roses by the owner. The dainty flowers seen here belong to coralbells (Heuchera sp.).
A group of succulents lives on the weathered tabletop. “Whenever you use recycled goods, they instantly add character,” Rickards says.
How to Save Money on Succulents
How to Save Money on Succulents
Rickards surrounded the circular deck with densely planted beds. She also added the bamboo in the background, which matches the existing clump seen earlier. “This variety isn’t a terrible runner,” she says, “but you do need to protect yourself, so we dug a trench around it and put in a root barrier to contain it.”
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As many of the owner’s existing plants as possible were retained and built into the design. Here you can see a neatly clipped bay tree on the right.
“It was a bit of a hefty lump, and [the homeowner] wondered if we should take it out, but I suggested we could clip it and cut off the lower branches,” Rickards says. “It’s a nicer thing to do than just ripping something out. I like to work with what we’ve got wherever possible.”
“It was a bit of a hefty lump, and [the homeowner] wondered if we should take it out, but I suggested we could clip it and cut off the lower branches,” Rickards says. “It’s a nicer thing to do than just ripping something out. I like to work with what we’ve got wherever possible.”
So how does homeowner Jo de Banzie feel about the transformation? “She loved it — and has been very good at maintaining it,” Rickards says. “Gardens are always a work in progress.”
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Read more stories about landscape design
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Hire a landscape contractor
Shop for your outdoor spaces
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: Photographic artist Jo de Banzie and her husband; their grown-up children have left home
Location: Muswell Hill, North London
Size: About 23 by 49 feet (7 by 15 meters)
Landscape designer: Jilayne Rickards
“Small [landscapes] are really difficult to do,” Rickards says. “Every plant counts and has to have more than one season of interest to earn its place.”
Also, the planting conditions in this enclosed space were a little tricky. “There’s quite heavy clay soil, common in London [yards],” Rickards says. “And although clay is nutrient-dense, in the sun it will dry out and crack, while in the winter it will become boggy and claggy, so you have to choose plants that can cope with it in both seasons.” The large apple tree also creates some dry shade.
Rickards’ planting plan was designed around these conditions and also to provide year-round interest. As there are few flowers, because of the shade, the focus is on interesting foliage.
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