Known as the “Garden Capital of the World”, London is known for its magnificent formal gardens, including the Royal Botanic Kew Gardens and the gardens at Hampton Court Palace. In London’s busiest urban area, where space is at a premium, gardens are still very much in demand. The challenge is to design it on a much smaller scale while balancing the beautiful and the practical.

The sun lounge terrace is fixed with a dry stone wall. In the evening, the lights highlight the wonderful texture of the stone. Photography: Daniel Shea

“In cities and suburbs of London, gardens are usually very small and overlooked by neighbours,” says Daniel Shea, a garden designer in North London. “I try to create spaces that are intimate, comfortable, and private, which can be challenging in these built-up areas.”

For this small cottage in Barnsbury, London, Shea was asked to create a contemporary and sophisticated garden for relaxation and entertaining while examining the space from the surrounding cottages. The clients, a professional couple, planned to use the park primarily on weekends and evenings. Therefore, lighting to extend the use of the garden into the night was crucial.

An outdoor gas fireplace and garden lighting extend garden use into the evening. Photography: Daniel Shea

Before Shea began his transformation, the garden was nothing but a small stone balcony, a rotting wooden deck surrounded by a lawn and a narrow border. However, he saw all the potential that space had to offer. “The park was semi-shady and has a sheltered position due to the surrounding high-rise townhouses and central London location,” he says. “Customers had a modest budget, but this quickly increased as the design progressed and they became more and more excited.”

The design of the space is inspired by the client’s interior décor of exquisite artwork and contemporary furniture and reflects these refined tastes. The central area of ​​the garden contains a water basin, clad in white limestone, which spills over a dry stone path. At the back of the garden is a sunny terrace with a dramatic dry stone wall lit by three spotlights, which highlight the wall’s beautiful texture. For the main social area, Shea’s focus was to make it ideal for entertaining. It features a large gas fireplace, gas grill, and modular sofa in a chrome frame, with white limestone paving adding a touch of luxury.

A limestone-covered tub spills water over dry stone paving, adding texture and contrast to the faded limestone. Photography: Daniel Shea

The planting scheme is equally sophisticated, displaying soft tones of white and green in contrasting textures (see List of Shea plants). Three silver birch trees were installed to create a sense of seclusion in the surrounding array of homes.

A mature Magnolia grandiflora plant row of silver birch rises above a planting mix in soothing shades of green and white, including Echinacea purpurea ‘White Swan’, Dryopteris wallichiana, and Helleborus x hybridus ‘Pretty Ellen White’. Photography: Daniel Shea

“I wanted to create a clean, almost relaxing garden out of white stones, white tree bark, and white flowers with soothing green tones and foliage,” says Shea. “I tend not to use lawns and replace them with plantations and stonecrops.”

Hakonechloa macra and Dryopteris wallichiana help lubricate the stone walkways and walls. Photography: Daniel Shea

List of Plants and Why Choose Shea

Echinacea purpurea ‘White Swan’: One of my all-time favorite plants. It is tall and graceful, has a good shape and structure and flowers for a long time. It also looks good after flowering, as the structure of the plant remains firm and upright.

Astrantia major ‘Star of Billion’: early summer blooming, abundance of brilliant white flowers, very graceful and unique. Foliage is also of interest. Deadhead helps encourage flowering.

Hakonekloa macra: I use it in my farming front yards. The way soft green foliage gracefully flows over the white stone intertwines the landscape, both hard and soft.

Dryopteris wallichiana: my go-to fern. It has a great texture and I love the black, furry legs when they unfold. It is very rigid, so it can support more flimsy plantings behind it.

Helleborus x hybridus ‘Pretty Ellen White’: I love adding this plant to my compositions because its unique foliage rises above ground planting and works well with just about any plant. It also provides graceful white spring flowers.

Dechampsia cispitosa ‘Goldtau’: This herb adds depth to your planting scheme. Shimmering bronze seed heads provide movement and a golden glow late into the evening.

Buxus sempervirens: I planted this in white stone planters on the main lounge porch and sunbathing porch towards the back. Adds classic elegance to more formal areas of the garden.

Betulautilis var. Jacquemonte: No white garden would be complete without silver birch. These trees provide winter interest in ivory bark, and a bright green canopy provides screening from neighbors without casting much shade.

 

Garden furniture complements the gray paint on garden walls. The modular garden furniture is backlit with wall lights that add a serene atmosphere in the evening.

Photography: Daniel Shea