Landscape Design
Before and Afters
Yard of the Week: A Family’s Outdoor Space With a Living Wall
A landscape designer adds Mediterranean-style plantings, a lush living wall and two terraces to his own yard in England
Landscape designer Simon Orchard is used to transforming clients’ yards. When it came to his own outdoor plot, he says, “it wasn’t hugely different, really — it’s just that the client in this instance was my wife.” The backyard makeover, completed this year, followed a remodel that left much of the existing garden and decking torn up. “We did a kitchen extension that basically added a [10-by-10-foot] box onto the back of our house,” he says.
Now, with two terraces on which to relax and dine, a living wall, a lawn and flower beds, the serene family retreat that Orchard created is lush, versatile and easy to maintain.
Now, with two terraces on which to relax and dine, a living wall, a lawn and flower beds, the serene family retreat that Orchard created is lush, versatile and easy to maintain.
Before: Here’s what the backyard looked like midtransformation.
After: The new terrace by the house features gray porcelain tiles for a chic, modern look, with steps leading down to the grass.
The verdant lawn was grown from scratch — it’s just three months old in these photos. “The builders left their materials all over the lawn, then when the landscapers built the terrace, they compacted the grass,” Orchard says. “We leveled and gently graded it, and put seed down.”
The verdant lawn was grown from scratch — it’s just three months old in these photos. “The builders left their materials all over the lawn, then when the landscapers built the terrace, they compacted the grass,” Orchard says. “We leveled and gently graded it, and put seed down.”
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The step risers are painted anthracite gray, which contrasts the paler paving but matches other details, including the window frames. “It’s the first time I’ve done this,” Orchard says. “I’ve always wanted to but never had the [bravery] to do it with a client, so I thought I’d try it out on my own [yard]. I’m over the moon with it; it ties the house and garden together.”
Florence Grey porcelain paving: London Stone
Florence Grey porcelain paving: London Stone
The custom-designed fence helps to create a striking, modern look in this area of the garden. Orchard alternated one wide plank with two slim ones all the way up to give it more visual interest.
People often forget what a difference fences can make. “If you can work them into the design, it looks quite contemporary, rather than just something you want to hide away with plants,” he says.
The fence has been painted anthracite to match the bifold doors and step risers.
People often forget what a difference fences can make. “If you can work them into the design, it looks quite contemporary, rather than just something you want to hide away with plants,” he says.
The fence has been painted anthracite to match the bifold doors and step risers.
The luscious living wall adds soft greenery that really brings the terrace to life. “Often, the problem with patios and terraces is, it’s quite hard landscaping,” Orchard says. “Yes, you can have potted plants, but a living wall really changes how the space works.
“As they turn from the side of the house, round the corner, people stop dead in their tracks. They look at the wall and say, ‘Wow, I wasn’t expecting that!’ Then, when you’re inside, you’re looking out onto it too. It looks nice from the house as well as outside,” he says.
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“As they turn from the side of the house, round the corner, people stop dead in their tracks. They look at the wall and say, ‘Wow, I wasn’t expecting that!’ Then, when you’re inside, you’re looking out onto it too. It looks nice from the house as well as outside,” he says.
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“The plants here are all ones that can handle semishade,” Orchard says. “The [yard] is east-facing, so it gets the morning sun, and then loses it at about 11 o’clock. You’ve got to be very careful to pick the right plants.”
The living wall will require a little maintenance. “Some plants will grow more aggressively than others, and you don’t want them to take over and swamp out other ones,” he says. “So the grasses might trail down and cover things in trays below. Don’t be afraid to cut off the odd leaf or trailing stem to keep it looking good. Go out with a cup of tea and gently shape it.”
Orchard adds that he always tries to create some kind of pattern in his living walls. “Here, I picked plants that would complement and contrast with each other nicely, so you can see the diagonal pattern. I planted in drifts rather than just dotting them around, which would look a little disordered and a bit of mess I think,” he says.
The living wall is planted with Hart’s tongue fern (Asplenium scolopendrium, USDA zones 5 to 9; find your zone), ‘Everest’ sedge (Carex oshimensis ‘Everest’, zones 5 to 9), ‘Everillo’ sedge (Carex oshimensis ‘Everillo’, zones 5 to 9); autumn fern (Dryopteris erythrosora, zones 6 to 9), ‘Spider’s Web’ paperplant (Fatsia japonica ‘Spider’s Web’, zones 8 to 11); ‘Plum Pudding’ coral bells (Heuchera ‘Plum Pudding’, zones 4 to 9); ‘Beacon Silver’ spotted henbit (Lamium maculatum ‘Beacon Silver’, zones 3 to 10), golden creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia ‘Aurea’, zones 3 to 9), Japanese pachysandra (Pachysandra terminalis, zones 5 to 9), soft shield fern (Polystichum setiferum, zones 6 to 9) and tassel fern (Polystichum polyblepharum, zones 5 to 8).
The living wall will require a little maintenance. “Some plants will grow more aggressively than others, and you don’t want them to take over and swamp out other ones,” he says. “So the grasses might trail down and cover things in trays below. Don’t be afraid to cut off the odd leaf or trailing stem to keep it looking good. Go out with a cup of tea and gently shape it.”
Orchard adds that he always tries to create some kind of pattern in his living walls. “Here, I picked plants that would complement and contrast with each other nicely, so you can see the diagonal pattern. I planted in drifts rather than just dotting them around, which would look a little disordered and a bit of mess I think,” he says.
The living wall is planted with Hart’s tongue fern (Asplenium scolopendrium, USDA zones 5 to 9; find your zone), ‘Everest’ sedge (Carex oshimensis ‘Everest’, zones 5 to 9), ‘Everillo’ sedge (Carex oshimensis ‘Everillo’, zones 5 to 9); autumn fern (Dryopteris erythrosora, zones 6 to 9), ‘Spider’s Web’ paperplant (Fatsia japonica ‘Spider’s Web’, zones 8 to 11); ‘Plum Pudding’ coral bells (Heuchera ‘Plum Pudding’, zones 4 to 9); ‘Beacon Silver’ spotted henbit (Lamium maculatum ‘Beacon Silver’, zones 3 to 10), golden creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia ‘Aurea’, zones 3 to 9), Japanese pachysandra (Pachysandra terminalis, zones 5 to 9), soft shield fern (Polystichum setiferum, zones 6 to 9) and tassel fern (Polystichum polyblepharum, zones 5 to 8).
Orchard designed this simple but effective log bench himself. “It’s made from tubular box-frame steel. I had the bits sent to me, including all the corner pieces,” he says. “You slot it all together and tighten it up with an Allen key. Everybody could make one of these.
“It has an iroko hardwood top, which was left over from another client project. But you could use treated [wood] from your local builder’s merchant or scaffold planks; it could be anything,” he continues. “It has that industrial look, and the steel will rust and turn reddy brown, which is very popular.”
The bench is versatile too. “Rather than having something built in, you can move the bench, and it has the secondary purpose of a log store, though I wanted to fill it for aesthetics,” Orchard says.
“It has an iroko hardwood top, which was left over from another client project. But you could use treated [wood] from your local builder’s merchant or scaffold planks; it could be anything,” he continues. “It has that industrial look, and the steel will rust and turn reddy brown, which is very popular.”
The bench is versatile too. “Rather than having something built in, you can move the bench, and it has the secondary purpose of a log store, though I wanted to fill it for aesthetics,” Orchard says.
In terms of planting, ‘Golf Ball’ kōhūhū (Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Golf Ball’, zones 8 to 11) shrubs flank the steps. “There’s a bit of symmetry going on here,” Orchard says. “You can keep them tightly clipped, and they have a small evergreen leaf, so you can add year-round structure.”
The taller, spiky purple plant is ‘Caradonna’ sage (Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’, zones 4 to 9). “This keeps shape and structure and visual interest year-round — it’s quite an architectural look,” Orchard says.
The space to the right of the bifold doors is used for barbecuing or playing pingpong.
The taller, spiky purple plant is ‘Caradonna’ sage (Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’, zones 4 to 9). “This keeps shape and structure and visual interest year-round — it’s quite an architectural look,” Orchard says.
The space to the right of the bifold doors is used for barbecuing or playing pingpong.
The deck with seating area is fairly close to the house; the homeowners use it for having lunch with friends or simply relaxing with a good book and a coffee. “It has a pullout canopy, which is a godsend in sunny weather,” Orchard says.
“The [wood] deck was there when we moved into the house. It’s actually covering an underground air raid shelter,” he adds. “I discovered the entrance while widening the beds. Digging away, I suddenly hit something hard, [forced it open] with my fork, and a concrete slab disappeared and fell into the entrance. I had no idea the shelter was there.”
Orchard recycled the existing deck. “The timber had ribs on it. A problem with that is, you get all the detritus in the grooves, and that makes it really slippery. I never advise clients to use ribbed decking,” he says. “There’s a misconception it creates more grip, but it’s the opposite. So I flipped the existing boards over and painted them gray. It also kept the costs down.”
Orchard added the aluminum pergola; the canvas canopy came with it.
What to Know About Adding a Pergola
“The [wood] deck was there when we moved into the house. It’s actually covering an underground air raid shelter,” he adds. “I discovered the entrance while widening the beds. Digging away, I suddenly hit something hard, [forced it open] with my fork, and a concrete slab disappeared and fell into the entrance. I had no idea the shelter was there.”
Orchard recycled the existing deck. “The timber had ribs on it. A problem with that is, you get all the detritus in the grooves, and that makes it really slippery. I never advise clients to use ribbed decking,” he says. “There’s a misconception it creates more grip, but it’s the opposite. So I flipped the existing boards over and painted them gray. It also kept the costs down.”
Orchard added the aluminum pergola; the canvas canopy came with it.
What to Know About Adding a Pergola
“I have two borders — one shady and one sunny. This one is southwest-facing, so it gets the afternoon sun,” Orchard says.
“I’ve gone for Mediterranean-style [plantings]. I’ve tried to fit things such as flat [‘Moonshine’ yarrow ] (Achillea ‘Moonshine’, [zones 3 to 9]) next to the spiky [‘Caradonna’ sage] to get that vertical and horizontal thing working together, which always looks really nice,” he adds. “The blue catmint (Nepeta racemosa ‘Walker’s Low’, [zones 3 to 8]) intermingles with the pale green [lady’s mantle] (Alchemilla mollis, [zones 3 to 8]). The silver plant is artemisia.”
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“I’ve gone for Mediterranean-style [plantings]. I’ve tried to fit things such as flat [‘Moonshine’ yarrow ] (Achillea ‘Moonshine’, [zones 3 to 9]) next to the spiky [‘Caradonna’ sage] to get that vertical and horizontal thing working together, which always looks really nice,” he adds. “The blue catmint (Nepeta racemosa ‘Walker’s Low’, [zones 3 to 8]) intermingles with the pale green [lady’s mantle] (Alchemilla mollis, [zones 3 to 8]). The silver plant is artemisia.”
More on Houzz
Read more stories about patios
Browse thousands of patio photos
Hire a landscape contractor
Shop for your outdoor spaces
Who lives here: Landscape designer Simon Orchard, his wife and their two young sons
Location: Hampshire, England
Size: 4,884 square feet (454 square meters); 148 by 33 feet
Landscape designer: Simon Orchard Garden Design
The original design was slightly dated, Orchard says, with a terrace on two levels; neither level was big enough to be useful. And the terrace “had some very narrow borders that weren’t very good for planting,” he adds.
Entertaining and relaxing were key to the design. “I have two young boys, so it’s a space for us as a family to spill out onto via the bifold doors, and dine out there or entertain friends,” Orchard says.
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