Grosvenor Road, E11

Colourful. Frothy. Romantic

The owners of this garden in Wanstead asked me to help them transform their tired back garden into a beautiful and usable space. Despite being fairly compact at 12 x 6 metres, we managed to squeeze in a cosy seating area by the house which catches the last of the afternoon sun, as well as a dedicated dining space on a raised deck at the far end of the garden. The brief for the planting was to create something light and frothy but with evergreen structure for the winter months, as the garden is on show year round through floor-t0-ceiling Crittal windows. A stepping stone path set into a clay paver patio leads through the lawn (we chose a clover/turf mix lawn as the clients have a small female dog, and 6 months in I am pleased to say it does seem to be proving pretty resilient against the effects of dog wee!) to the dining/entertaining area. A beautiful hardwood dining set and Big Green Egg BBQ complete things. And in the years to come, 3 Pyrus calleryana pear trees will provide screening from the neighbour’s gable end and seasonal interest with spring blossom and stunning autumn leaf colour.

Status: completed February 2024. Photographs: August 2024