Landscape Design
Inspiring Gardens
Before and Afters
Underused Yard Gets a Family-Friendly Makeover
A landscape designer transforms a backyard by adding shade, colorful plants and a smooth indoor-outdoor transition
The family who lives in this London home had recently added on to the kitchen, creating a beautiful, light-filled space overlooking the back garden. Unfortunately, the garden became a dumping ground during construction, and there was a drop between the kitchen and the yard. The new kitchen also was so flooded with natural light that it could get very hot.
Dealing with the light — too much of it — was also part of the brief. The garden is south-facing, and the kitchen, which had skylights installed as part of the build, could get really hot. The homeowners wanted to have a structure close to the house that would provide some shade both inside and out.
Orchard solved the excessive-sun problem by adding this contemporary slatted pergola. “It did the job of creating some shade in the kitchen and in the new seating area outside the bifold doors,” he says. Depending on the time of day, the slats provide partial shade “as well as nice shadow play. The pergola also frames the deck to create an outdoor-room feel,” he adds. The pergola is made of treated timber painted anthracite gray to go with the doors.
The deck is a gray composite. “It’s much longer-lasting than treated timber, and it won’t rot,” Orchard says. “Since it’s not a natural product, you don’t get algae growing on it, which can cause it to discolor and become slippery. We chose the shade as it’s a contemporary color that goes well with the new kitchen.”
The deck is a gray composite. “It’s much longer-lasting than treated timber, and it won’t rot,” Orchard says. “Since it’s not a natural product, you don’t get algae growing on it, which can cause it to discolor and become slippery. We chose the shade as it’s a contemporary color that goes well with the new kitchen.”
Before: After the builders had gone, the family was left with a drop between the kitchen and garden.
After: Orchard created these chunky diagonal steps to connect the deck and the lawn. A space between each level gives the illusion that the steps are floating.
“I wanted to make a nice, gentle transition from top to bottom, especially as the owners have young children,” Orchard says. “I also wanted to do something a bit different. The steps are designed to lead you down and then diagonally across the garden.”
“I wanted to make a nice, gentle transition from top to bottom, especially as the owners have young children,” Orchard says. “I also wanted to do something a bit different. The steps are designed to lead you down and then diagonally across the garden.”
The designer planted around the steps’ edges to soften the lines. Here you can see herbs, including sage and oregano.
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Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida var. deamii), ‘Black Adder’ hyssop (Agastache ‘Black Adder’) and purpletop vervain (Verbena bonariensis), seen flanking the steps, are bee- and butterfly-friendly.
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A border at the bottom of the raised deck includes ‘Credo’ yarrow (Achillea ‘Credo’), ‘Totally Tangerine’ avens (Geum ‘Totally Tangerine’), ‘Raven’ penstemon (Penstemon ‘Raven’) and ‘Caradonna’ sage (Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’).
“I use the color wheel quite a lot for planting,” Orchard says. “Opposites on the color wheel — yellows and blues-purples — can make a nice scheme. Picking three colors next to each other on the wheel can also make a nice combination.”
Before: The garden border along the fence line was mostly bare before work began.
After: Lush planted borders now run down both fence lines. “As a design feature, I never have a lawn butting up to a fence,” Orchard says. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to grow anything up the fence, and it could look a bit stark.”
He filled the beds with climbing plants and added tension wires to the fence for the plants to grow along. “Since the photos were taken, it will all have grown to the point where you probably won’t see much of the fence at all,” he says.
Having borders also makes it easier to cut the grass. “You can’t mow that close to the fence, so you’d be going along after you’d mowed with your shears. A pain!” Orchard says. He edged the lawn with steel to allow someone to mow right up to the beds and to give the grass a crisp edge.
He filled the beds with climbing plants and added tension wires to the fence for the plants to grow along. “Since the photos were taken, it will all have grown to the point where you probably won’t see much of the fence at all,” he says.
Having borders also makes it easier to cut the grass. “You can’t mow that close to the fence, so you’d be going along after you’d mowed with your shears. A pain!” Orchard says. He edged the lawn with steel to allow someone to mow right up to the beds and to give the grass a crisp edge.
Orchard used horizontal-slat fencing to complement the garden’s contemporary style. “It’s western red cedar — a softwood, but one that has natural properties, meaning you don’t need to give it additional sealing,” he says. “In time, the cedar will go a nice silver color, which will match the decking more closely.”
A lily of the Nile (Agapanthus sp.) grows in a painted container on the deck. It’s top-dressed with pale gray chipped limestone, a contemporary material that is also used in a small area at the end of the lawn.
Orchard and his team renovated the existing shed at the back of the yard, painting it a rich gray-blue.
He created a second seating area at this end of the garden, allowing the homeowners to enjoy a different viewpoint as the sun tracks around the space. The children also use this open space as a play area, bringing in their slide and trampoline.
Heath sawn sandstone, London Stone
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He created a second seating area at this end of the garden, allowing the homeowners to enjoy a different viewpoint as the sun tracks around the space. The children also use this open space as a play area, bringing in their slide and trampoline.
Heath sawn sandstone, London Stone
Find outdoor pavers on Houzz
‘Little Lime’ panicled hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata ‘Little Lime’) interspersed with ‘Rozanne’ cranesbill (Geranium ‘Rozanne’) edge the paved area. “That will grow to form almost a short hedge, zoning the area further,” Orchard says.
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More on Houzz
Tour other inspiring gardens
Browse thousands of photos of landscapes
Work with a landscape architect near you
Shop for outdoor products
Backyard at a Glance
Who lives here: A family with two young children
Location: South East London
Size: 1,076 square feet (100 square meters), 49 by 22 feet
Designer: Simon Orchard
Landscape designer Simon Orchard was hired to create a family space outdoors, a connection between the house and garden, a couple of seating spots and areas where the children could play.
Before: Here is the view looking out onto the garden after the kitchen addition was completed.