Have you ever tried beginning plants from seeds? Symmetry will often be visually attractive, and the lines of this Notting Hill garden beautifully mirror the curved elements of the house. An undulating glass conversatory which leads on to a garden for entertaining, and a target-shaped combination of paving slabs and bricks focuses the eye to the central dining space. A similarly symmetrical scheme would function well in a much smaller sized space: just like in the house, preserving order avoids the sense of an overly cluttered space and creates a feeling of calm.
Wooden decking and box hedges are an instant winner when it comes to smartening a compact space. Add a chic café table and chairs and we couldn’t imagine a lovelier spot for breakfast. Lighting is the simplest way to develop mood in a garden. A handful of hurricane lanterns or tea lights hung from a tree can add instant romance to a summer’s evening.
The Los Angeles garden of interior designer Michael S Smith is a lesson in modernism. The minimalist scheme is clean and very simple with just a handful of effectively selected and completely placed sculptures giving visual interest. It really is an thought that can be scaled down to even the smallest of gardens.
Jinny Blom’s modest city garden is a neatly walled space, replanted only months ahead of this photograph was taken. Clipped box cubes contrasts with a clever planting scheme that mixes substantial-leaved exotic plants with cottage-garden favourites. A wide pond is traversed by a clever walkway.
Apple trees can make the best addition to compact gardens. ‘Choose dwarf-bush, spindlebush or stepovers for small gardens,’ recommends the Royal Horticultural Society This distinct outside space surrounds antique dealer and decorator Max Rollitt’s rural Hampshire home Most of the land belonging to the farm was sold separately, but Max and his wife Jane bought ten acres, as properly as the farm buildings opposite the property.
