O
utdoorspaceis sucha luxuryin
LondonthatwhenAliceand
LaurenceTailbyfirstmovedto
theirVictorianterracedhouse
inHampsteadtheydidn’tinitiallyregisterthe
limitationsofthegarden.‘I wasjustexcitedtohave
somewheretoputa barbecue,’saysLaurence.
Itwasonlywhenthefirstgardendesignerthey
contacteddeclaredtheprojectbeyondhertechnical
abilitiesthattheybecameawareofjusthowdifficult
thesitewas.Fortunately,theseconddesignerthey
spoketowasmadeofsternerstuff.‘I likea challenge,’
saysSaraJaneRothwell.‘Althoughthiswasdefinitely
oneofthemostawkwardsitesI’veeverworkedon.’
Notonlywasthegardensmallandpredominantly
setata tricky45-degreeangletothehouse,buta
semi-subterraneangaragefilledtheendoftheplot.
WhentheTailbysmovedin,thisstructurehadbeen
encasedinslabstomakea sortofraisedterrace
whereLaurenceinstalledhisbarbecue.‘Itlookeda
bitlikea concreteNissenhut,flankedby 15 stone
stepsanda pathleadingdowntotherearstreet
whereyouaccessthegarage,’saysSaraJane.
‘Thewholesitewasa disaster.Therewashardcore
everywhereandthenewbifolddoorshung30cm
abovethefootingsoftheoldconservatory,’shesays.
‘However,I’vedesigneda lotofroofterracesandI
treatedthisinmuchthesameway.Onceweagreed
thattheplantingcouldbeinraisedbeds,it gaveme
freedom to bank the ground up around the garage,sculptingthelevelstohelpit disappear.’Likewith
a roofterrace,thefirststepwastogeta structural
engineerintocheckthegaragewasstrongenoughto
supporta terrace.‘Wethenremovedallthepaving
andwaterproofedthestructure,’saysSaraJane.
Followingsounddesignprinciples,shehasturned
thegarden’s45-degreeskewtoadvantage,laying
a deckacrossthebackofthehousewheretheview
takesinthewidestpartofthegardenandrelocating
thepathtozigzagacrosstheplottowardstherear
terrace.Buttherealmasterstrokeinthedesignwas
SaraJane’sbravedecisiontobuildthegardenup
evenhigherthanthegarageroof,sothatinsteadof
beinganexposedplinthit becomesanintimate
terraceenclosedonallsidesbyplants.
Rowsoflowyewhedgingnowemphasisethe
stronggeometryofthefinishedgarden,retainingan
exuberantmassofherbaceousperennialsthatcreate
anever-changingpicturethroughouttheyear.‘Alice
isverykeenonherplantsandwantedtogetlotsof
colourintothebeds,’saysSaraJane.Frothsoflime
greenEuphorbiaxmartiniTinyTimandAlchemilla
mollissoftentheedgesofpavinganddecking,while
theblushpinkfromloftyspiresofDigitalispurpurea
‘Sutton’sApricot’andclimbingroseTheGenerous
Gardenercontrastsbeautifullywiththegreyfencing.
Thereareevenappletrees:onevarietyforeatingand
anotherforcooking– proofthatgooddesignandthe
skillsofa talenteddesignerwillalwaysbearfruit,
even in the most challenging of outdoor spaces. &Cortensteelplanters
filledwithherbsand
a frothymassof
Alchemillamollis
surround the terrace.GardenGuideORIeNTATION
Thegardenfacessoutheast.
SOILTypeWholly
importedtopsoil.
SpecIALFeATuReS
exceptionallydifficultsitethatis
setata 45-degreeangletothe
housewitha semi-subterranean
garagestructureattherear.
GARdeNdeSIGNby
SaraJaneRothwellofLondon
Gardendesigner, 0208348 9514,
londongardendesigner.com.