How I Design Urban Gardens

Urban gardens may be small in size, but they have amazing potential to enhance peoples lives.

When I design these spaces, I focus on three key elements to ensure every garden is both beautiful and purposeful:

-            My clients personal circumstances, lifestyle and how they want to use the garden

-            How can I make the garden better for them and environment

-            How much time and love my client has for gardening

Once I understand these things, I can design a space that not only looks good on day one but continues to thrive – without becoming a burden. The goal is always a garden that suits both your schedule and your soul.

To help bring the vision to life, I use 3D design software, allowing clients to see exactly how their new garden will feel before the first plant goes in the ground. It’s about creating a space they can imagine themselves.

In compact urban gardens, modular features are the secret for the garden to work. A raised bed can double up as a bench. A garden arch might support climbers while also serve as  frame for a swing or hammock. Even a simple storage unit can transform into a bar or side table for a summer BBQ.

With thoughtful design and clever features, these spaces can be lush, personal, and full of life.

How about designing planting scheme that will last?

I always aim for a garden that looks great all year round, offers seasonal interest, and can cope with increasingly extreme weather – from hot, dry summers to months of rain.

Evergreen provide structure and colour through every season and are easy to care for. In shady areas, I favour variegated and colourful foliage to brighten things up – plants like Fatsia japonica ‘Spider’s Web’, Phormium ‘Evening Glow’, Euonymus japonicus ‘Pierrolino’, and vibrant Heucheras thrive with little fuss and keep the garden looking vibrant in winter.

For seasonal layers, I add scented and flowering highlights: spring blossom trees, roses, and lilac for the beds, while climbers like Trachelospermum jasminoides and clematis bring colour and fragrance to pergolas, fences, and walls.

It's also vital to consider the mature size of each plant. A neat bay tree or young eucalyptus might look perfect now, but in ten years they can grow to 15-metre giants. Smart choices today lead to a garden that stays beautiful, balanced, and manageable long into the future

What features are unlikely to work in urban gardens?

I tend to steer clients away from white rendered walls, especially when paired with cedar cladding. In the UK climate, white render quickly turns green and can start to peel, particularly on raised beds. Cedar, while beautiful, requires oiling at least once a year to maintain its warm tones – both are costly to build and even more expensive to maintain.

Artificial grass is a firm no. Beyond the obvious environmental concerns, it traps heat in summer, offers poor drainage, may carry health risks, and contrary to popular belief, still requires upkeep – not to mention the smell!

I tend to recommend to my client natural materials and textures that can enhance their spaces. Beautifully cladded raised bed will weather much better than smooth white wall and add timeless character, even in small gardens.

Clay pavers made using traditional methods are also back in fashion. They age well and are great for environment, thanks to method of installation water can drain freely into the ground underneath. They look stunning in modern and more traditional settings.

Lastly, I always advocate installing an automated irrigation system. It’s efficient, exempt from hosepipe bans, and keeps your garden healthy without the daily worry – especially when you’re away.