It was pretty stifling in this tiny space, a box of a yard, with no airflow and no shade after mid-day. There are some before shots to give you the feel. The courtyard was not bad but a bit tired and overgrown. The couple had just remodeled the back family area of the house and wanted to be able to flow out into their courtyard space. This is a townhome and this is the only private outdoor area. It faces south and they really needed more shade. I had hoped to keep the Mimosa tree in the far corner but they felt it was too leggy and were tired of it. We suggested adding a small tree in its place. One of my favorites small trees is Possumhaw holly, Ilex decidua. We used a 30 gallon Paco’s Red Possumahaw holly. Another issue was that over the years different owners had built up the level of the soil in the space. The raised level also pushed water into the house and warped the floors. So first we started with a massive excavation.
For more on this project go to our blog post - http://ravenscourtgardens.com/2015/09/28/from-overgrown-to-modern-space-for-entertaining/