A Curvy Lawn and All-Season Plants Soften a Rectangular Yard
A long, thin garden perks up with a sinuous lawn and plantings that add color and interest year-round
Jo Simmons
November 5, 2016
Houzz UK Contributor. I have been an interiors journalist since 1995, writing several books on design and numerous features for glossy homes mags over the years. For Houzz, I cover decorating ideas and trends and interview designers and professionals for their insights. My favourite pieces to write, though, are Houzz Tours, as I love exploring and learning about real homes. Call me curious — or nosy!
Houzz UK Contributor. I have been an interiors journalist since 1995, writing several... More
The back garden of this semidetached house in London had a very simple, somewhat uninspiring layout when Jo Fenton was asked to redesign it. It consisted of a small patio and a rectangular strip of lawn, with flower beds running along each side. “The owners wanted a variety of shapes and textures that would change all year round,” Fenton says.
Fenton scrapped the rectangular lawn and replaced it with a design based on two ovals. This introduces movement to the landscape and makes it look wider. For the plantings, Fenton chose a mix that would bring year-round interest and. at the back of the garden, handle the shade produced by a giant copper beech tree.
Fenton scrapped the rectangular lawn and replaced it with a design based on two ovals. This introduces movement to the landscape and makes it look wider. For the plantings, Fenton chose a mix that would bring year-round interest and. at the back of the garden, handle the shade produced by a giant copper beech tree.
Garden at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with three children
Location: Palmers Green, north London
Size: 79 feet (24 meters) long (not including the side yard) and 21½ feet (6.6 meters) wide
Designer: Jo Fenton of Fenton Roberts Garden Design
The lawn area is a design of two ovals, set slightly on the diagonal. “Clients often ask for waviness in their garden design,” Fenton says. “They often want wavy flower beds, but that can make your lawn look odd. So we designed the lawn based on ovals, then just made the beds around that as wide as we could.”
Who lives here: A couple with three children
Location: Palmers Green, north London
Size: 79 feet (24 meters) long (not including the side yard) and 21½ feet (6.6 meters) wide
Designer: Jo Fenton of Fenton Roberts Garden Design
The lawn area is a design of two ovals, set slightly on the diagonal. “Clients often ask for waviness in their garden design,” Fenton says. “They often want wavy flower beds, but that can make your lawn look odd. So we designed the lawn based on ovals, then just made the beds around that as wide as we could.”
BEFORE: When Fenton was asked to redesign the garden, the owners had lived here for a while and been happy with simply having a big lawn for their children to play on. As the children began to grow up and move out, however, the owners decided to rethink the garden.
“They wanted something a bit more interesting, rather than grass and two tram-line beds down each side,” Fenton says. “They felt it was boring and wanted some attractive planting that would look good all year round.”
Creating a good-size patio was also a priority. “They didn’t have anywhere to eat,” Fenton says. “The original patio by the French doors was tiny.”
“They wanted something a bit more interesting, rather than grass and two tram-line beds down each side,” Fenton says. “They felt it was boring and wanted some attractive planting that would look good all year round.”
Creating a good-size patio was also a priority. “They didn’t have anywhere to eat,” Fenton says. “The original patio by the French doors was tiny.”
AFTER: The magnificent copper beech tree at the rear of the garden dictated the planting to some degree. “The garden is south-facing, but the back area is in shade because of that tree,” Fenton says. The shade and the dry soil beneath the tree canopy made the area ideal for woodland plants.
Taken in the spring, this picture shows beds brimming with Euphorbia characias ssp. wulfenii and a red Nandina domestica, which was already growing in the garden when it was redesigned.
Taken in the spring, this picture shows beds brimming with Euphorbia characias ssp. wulfenii and a red Nandina domestica, which was already growing in the garden when it was redesigned.
“We’ve created a mini woodland at the rear, which looks particularly good in spring,” Fenton says. Ferns, hellebores, honesty, foxgloves and brunnera create the lower story of the woodland floor, with a mix of evergreen and deciduous shrubs giving height and depth to the space.
Reclaimed railroad ties bridge the gap between the new lawn and the raised deck and shed at the back of the yard.
Reclaimed railroad ties bridge the gap between the new lawn and the raised deck and shed at the back of the yard.
The lovely mock orange and Japanese maple in front of the shed were existing specimens. They are now joined by foxgloves (Digitalis x mertonensis) and lime-green Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae. “It’s a bit of a mad spreader,” Fenton says, “but this is a difficult area in which to grow, and this plant can handle it. We regularly maintain this garden too, so we knew we’d be able to control its spread.”
Other plants in this corner include ‘Annabelle’ wild hydrangea, Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’ and Heuchera ‘Plum Pudding’.
Other plants in this corner include ‘Annabelle’ wild hydrangea, Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’ and Heuchera ‘Plum Pudding’.
The owners wanted a garden that looked good throughout the year. Now there’s interest in all the seasons, with two main periods of flowering. The woodland garden is at its best during spring and early summer before the copper beech has fully opened its leaves. The color scheme here is pink, blue and white, with lots of bluebells and ‘Jack Frost’ brunnera. The plant at the very back is Kerria japonica, which can handle this dry, shady spot. “It flourishes in difficult places,” Fenton says.
The garden has a second blooming period in late summer, when pink sedums and penstemons combine with white roses and hydrangeas.
The garden has a second blooming period in late summer, when pink sedums and penstemons combine with white roses and hydrangeas.
Other spring bloomers include tulips, bluebells and Viburnum plicatum. “We chose it for its tiered, horizontal shape,” Fenton says.
BEFORE: “The side [walkway] was really horrible!” Fenton says. “The owners wanted to change it, as they look out on it from the dining room, which they use a lot.” There was a steep ramp up at the rear and flower beds down one side. “They had herbs in there, but nothing was growing because it’s so shady,” she adds. “The area got filled with junk.”
AFTER: To improve the side yard, the patio paving was continued around, which opened out the space. Three holes were included for shrubs. These are planted with Osmanthus heterophyllus ‘Variegatus’, and there’s a climbing Hydrangea anomala ssp. petiolaris hugging the fence.
The steep slope at the rear was replaced with two neat steps. A much larger patio was created near the house. The old one was about 5 feet deep, and this new one is about 16 feet. The table is positioned lengthwise from the back of the house, and there’s plenty of room to circulate around it. Fenton designed the patio using sandstone paving and London stock bricks, which match the house.
Two olive trees are planted in deep pots. “The pots are made from plastic that looks like ceramic but is really durable and doesn’t crack,” Fenton says.
Planters: Europlanters; sandstone paving: Global Stone
Two olive trees are planted in deep pots. “The pots are made from plastic that looks like ceramic but is really durable and doesn’t crack,” Fenton says.
Planters: Europlanters; sandstone paving: Global Stone
The massive scale of the beech tree also had to be taken into account when the main part of the garden, which isn’t shaded by it, was designed. “We needed plants of a reasonable size to keep the garden in proportion and prevent the tree from dominating,” Fenton says.
A large bay tree near the house was retained, as was a sizable cotoneaster, on the right in this picture with red berries, and a mock orange tucked in by the shed. “The cotoneaster tree was never planted but arrived via birds who had eaten the berries, then left droppings,” Fenton says. “We pruned it and allowed it to stay put. It brings height to the garden.”
A large bay tree near the house was retained, as was a sizable cotoneaster, on the right in this picture with red berries, and a mock orange tucked in by the shed. “The cotoneaster tree was never planted but arrived via birds who had eaten the berries, then left droppings,” Fenton says. “We pruned it and allowed it to stay put. It brings height to the garden.”
The owners wanted the garden to include plenty of contrast, which Fenton created with a mix of plant forms and growing habits, and also leaf shapes and sizes. She points out the contrast between the upright and spiky forms of the irises, phormiums (on the right) and euphorbias with the rounded or horizontal forms, including the rosemary spilling over the patio and the sedum flowers.
Two conical pittosporum trees, Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Silver Queen’, were added to the garden. One failed and has been replaced with a smaller plant (just outside the picture). It’s already catching up with the one seen here on the right. “Given time, they’ll both form tall, vertical accents,” Fenton says.
Two conical pittosporum trees, Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Silver Queen’, were added to the garden. One failed and has been replaced with a smaller plant (just outside the picture). It’s already catching up with the one seen here on the right. “Given time, they’ll both form tall, vertical accents,” Fenton says.
In June, Phlomis russeliana has yellow flowers, while Penstemon ‘Garnet’ is a blaze of jewel red. Mixed in are spiky Acanthus hungaricus and Iris ‘Jane Phillips’.
In September, Phlomis russeliana is covered in pompom seed heads, which look attractive throughout the winter. “The pink sedums produce really good seed heads too,” Fenton says, “which I wait to cut back until spring, when you get fresh new growth.”
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Read more stories about landscape design
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PS: They know their greens!
love it!
Very nice