Spooner Row formal courtyard • Llewellyn Landscape & Garden Design

This courtyard was a real pleasure to work on with a fantastic family as my clients. A small courtyard space, with bags of potential and viewed by the kitchen and living room, had been left by the house builders with a plain patch of lawn and a narrow sandstone path stuck to the house walls. The clients were keen for a fountain and perhaps a raised bed, but apart from that weren’t sure what they wanted. After a fun design phase the layout was settled, making much more use of the space and realising its potential – I think this project is a great example of how you don’t need a lot of room to make a big impact.

Please have a look through the gallery below by clicking on an image of your choice

The fountain was selected by the clients and then everything designed around that. Paving materials used were warm but formal, with an emphasis on the natural and handmade: tumbled limestone paving with handmade clay paver edging and herringbone sections. Porcelain was used to clad the raised bed with a chunky sandstone coping. A complementary gravel was used the mulch the planting areas which were filled with a mixture of smaller woody shrubs and predominantly evergreen/semi-evergreen perennials for year-round interest. Hydrangeas will steal the show when flowering but the Salvia greggii will provide best value for money as it continues flowering until just after the first frosts – a real winner of a plant.

A bespoke bench/screen was made with split-hazel facing and a large moon-arch was incorporated to frame the view out over the rest of the garden and onto the South Norfolk farmland stretching beyond. An app/voice controlled lighting system was installed to ensure the space earns its keep even in the winter months, and ensures the party can continue long into the night.

Please see a gallery of the construction process for this garden below. Click on the first image to load the gallery, and each image is then accompanied by a caption with a little more information

Before work started this courtyard was a bland space but with tonnes of potential

The area had been turfed and a path laid by the builders, but with both kitchen and living room opening onto this area it was screaming out for more

This view shows the large kitchen doors opening onto the space

There ended up being a lot of excavation on this one after we discovered the ground was contaminated from some previous below standard backfill material

Using smaller machines we were able to retain good access to the space and excavate what we needed

The driveway was protected with tarpaulin and plywood sheeting and then a bay constructed for the removal and delivery of loose material

Painting out the plan always ensures a final opportunity to check scaling and get the layout exactly where it should be

The site was kept tidy and organised throughout, being careful of the rest of the existing garden

With such a formal layout its imperative that everything is kept symmetrical and square - lines and pegs work well for this

Once the geotextile was is laid MOT type 1 is heavily compacted to ensure a solid foundation from which the rest of the hard landscaping can take shape

Lining up conduit positions for services including water and power

Despite being a summer build the weather wasn't that kind - out come the tents again!

Materials and workspace protected from the elements

Reasonable tight confines and lots going on here, but everything was kept neat throughout

Limestone starting to take shape and mocking up the porcelain cladding on the raised bed

Sometimes I free-style, sometimes I paint it out

For the curves to be cut in, even with water suppression, a lot of dust was created. As a result we completed the cuts in a tent to protect our clients and their property, and protected ourselves by wearing appropriate PPE

The oak seat is set within the blockwork and porcelain cladding

As with all other elements of my work, the cladding was installed with only the best of materials and specification

I loved setting these herringbone brick sections within the limestone paving

The delivery of the fountain was a big moment!

Getting the fountain in was a big step - and very heavy!

The oak bench backrest is dowelled to prevent any need for visible fixings

The interior of the raised bed is tanked with a bituminous paint to create an impermeable membrane. This prevents any water from inside the bed causing issues with the porcelain cladding. The bottom of the raised bed is free-draining, with weepholes leading out of the foundations and the back of the bed

The fountain was protected whilst work carried on around it

Some fun cuts on the patterned porcelain cladding around the bench

I was pleased with all of the joins in this raised bed - details matter

The drone helps with ensuring the new development is sitting well within its context

If you’re inspired to start your own dream garden please feel free to get in touch now