Patio of the Week: Plant-Filled Retreat in 323 Square Feet
Landscape designers turn a small backyard in East London into a lush and inviting space for entertaining and relaxing
The owners of this East London cottage had just expanded their kitchen when they hired designers Paul Duffy and Peter Robinson of GRDN to renovate their home’s outdoor space. “After the building work, they were left with a blank canvas,” Duffy says. “They wanted something usable, but also to have a nice view from the back, as there’s a lot of [glass windows].”
With an old three-story factory behind it, the backyard was enclosed but looked very industrial. “The owners wanted it softened a bit and to have a green space within the city where they could relax and entertain,” Duffy says. “Now they absolutely love it.”
With an old three-story factory behind it, the backyard was enclosed but looked very industrial. “The owners wanted it softened a bit and to have a green space within the city where they could relax and entertain,” Duffy says. “Now they absolutely love it.”
“It’s a very small space, but we always try to achieve different zones,” Duffy says. A decked area near the house provides room for a dining table. “The transition [to the seating area at the back] is broken up with the planting area and by bringing in different materials,” he says.
Bamboo in a planter at the back of the yard softens the expanse of brick that looms over it, while an L-shaped bench provides generous seating for a space so small. A paperplant (Fatsia japonica, USDA zones 8 to 11; find your zone), dangling over the short side of the bench, continues the jungly theme.
Note: Bamboo can aggressively spread, depending on where you live and your yard’s conditions. Choose a clumping variety, and always use a barrier to contain it.
Bamboo in a planter at the back of the yard softens the expanse of brick that looms over it, while an L-shaped bench provides generous seating for a space so small. A paperplant (Fatsia japonica, USDA zones 8 to 11; find your zone), dangling over the short side of the bench, continues the jungly theme.
Note: Bamboo can aggressively spread, depending on where you live and your yard’s conditions. Choose a clumping variety, and always use a barrier to contain it.
The bamboo is underplanted with Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra, zones 4 to 9), a soft perennial grass that spills over the edges of the container. “It really softens the back of the bench and it can cope with bamboo roots, as it’s a hardy grass,” Duffy says.
Just visible on the left, screening another expanse of brick, is a multistem Japanese flowering cherry (Prunus serrulata, zones 5 to 8).
Shop for outdoor products on Houzz
Just visible on the left, screening another expanse of brick, is a multistem Japanese flowering cherry (Prunus serrulata, zones 5 to 8).
Shop for outdoor products on Houzz
This plan of the backyard shows the zones clearly. Duffy has added a dining table to show how it would fit in.
Baby’s tears (Soleirolia soleirolii, zones 9 to 11) creeps along between the decking and paving. “We use it quite a lot; it softens the interface,” Duffy says.
Also along one side of the yard is a Japanese maple (Acer palmatum, zones 5 to 8), seen on the right here. “It’s a really good garden feature tree,” Duffy says. “They give a nice canopy and it fits well with the theme of the planting, which has lots of tones and textures.” A purple elderberry (Sambucus sp.) grows on the left. “These get big as well,” he says.
A star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides, zones 8 to 10) climbs along the fence. “We tend to put those on both sides, as they’re evergreen, so provide good coverage year-round, and have nice, scented flowers,” he says. “[Having] lots of evergreen species [is] important — especially in a small [yard] — so the owners can see greenery all year-round.”
How to Make the Most of a Small Yard
A star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides, zones 8 to 10) climbs along the fence. “We tend to put those on both sides, as they’re evergreen, so provide good coverage year-round, and have nice, scented flowers,” he says. “[Having] lots of evergreen species [is] important — especially in a small [yard] — so the owners can see greenery all year-round.”
How to Make the Most of a Small Yard
There’s more Japanese forest grass here, spilling onto the decking and paving and blurring the hard edges.
The large-leaved plant here is a Rodgersia.
The paving is from the Netherlands and has quite a lot of recycled concrete in it. “We went for a stack bond layout; this gives it more of a contemporary look than the traditional stretcher bond pattern,” Duffy says.
Patio pavers: Concrete paving slabs in Gray, Schellevis
Patio pavers: Concrete paving slabs in Gray, Schellevis
This shot was taken soon after the landscape was installed and shows a dome-shaped kōhūhū (Pittosporum tenuifolium, zones 8 to 11) in the foreground, plus some small, delicate foamflower (Tiarella sp.), which Duffy says has a long flowering time — also handy in a small yard.
How to Create Privacy in Your Yard With Plants and Structures
How to Create Privacy in Your Yard With Plants and Structures
The fencing and base of the bench are painted black to tie in with the charred wood siding on the back of the addition. The grill surrounded by a flush concrete plinth in front of the doors forms the top of a light well.
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Patio at a Glance
Who lives here: A young couple, now expecting their first child
Location: East London
Size: 323 square feet (30 square meters)
Landscape designers: Paul Duffy and Peter Robinson of GRDN
“Before we started, it was a bit of a mud patch; there was nothing in it,” Duffy says. “In terms of boundaries, there was the brick wall and [wood] fencing and a really compromised fence to one side. They had a tiny bit of paving that had been used as a dumping ground by the builders, a bit of soil and not much vegetation. It was a really good blank canvas.”
The aim was to break up the petite plot by creating soft zones using different materials, rather than dividing it with anything too solid.
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