A brilliantly designed tiny garden - the results

A Beautiful Courtyard Garden

A Brilliantly Designed Tiny Garden - The Results

The inner courtyard garden in Jack's home is probably the smallest space that I have ever designed. This tiny courtyard is 2.7 metres in length by 2.2 metres in width.

The space has two sets of double doors, one opening in and the other opening out, and the amount we have managed to include in such a small space really shows the importance of clever and thoughtful garden design.

The room has a northwest-facing aspect so it's a very shady space, which is why I've packed it full of ferns.

I've also included a lead welded water feature, which the foundry welded on-site because of the difficulty of installing it any other way. Behind the water feature, we have placed three antique mirrored panels with a trellis on top which provide gentle reflection. The floor is reclaimed yorkstone that we were able to recycle from the rear garden of the house.

To make the inner courtyard as green and leafy as possible we've covered every available surface area with pots, which house ferns and hostas. When you are potting up your plants, think about how they are finished too. We cover all of our pots in moss and include the creeping perennial 'mind your own business' in order to cover the surface area of the pot and create different height levels of greenery.

To create vertical interest in the space we added in bespoke wall sconces with drainage holes at the back of them so that water can drain easily.

We also managed to fit in a bench and coffee table, so I think this is a great example of what can be achieved in even the smallest of spaces.

Floor Paving Doesn't Always Need Pointing

In the rear garden, we paved directly onto a bed of sand and didn't point the bricks. Instead, we brushed kiln-dried sand into the gaps which helps to keep the bricks steady.

The idea behind not pointing the bricks was that the 'mind your own business' would grow into the brick joints and make the space look even more natural and verdant.