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

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