Project Description

My clients in Balham were extending their house and also had a new baby.  The garden was previously filled with brick paving and overlooked, a common London problem.  The design needed to create a lush, tranquil space to be enjoyed largely in the evening, which would balance the new extension.  Opposite a large window a child-friendly water feature has been created, giving a feature throughout the year and a safe place for toddlers to splash in the summer.  A Gaze Burvill bench helps to balance the garden and break up a long border planted with Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’ and Stachys.

Planting throughout the garden is soft and muted; a pair of Prunus serrula trees, an avenue of pleached Carpinus betulus and borders filled with Echinacea and Perovskia.  The side return is planted with Geranium phaeum and Trachelospermum jasminoides.  Lighting is also soft and understated, giving a view into the garden without being over the top.

The garden is now a very calm and peaceful space in the heart of South West London.