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Small Gardens, Big Ideas: Lessons From This Year’s Society of Garden Designers Awards Finalists

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Small Gardens, Big Ideas: Lessons From This Year’s Society of Garden Designers Awards Finalists

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Small Gardens, Big Ideas: Lessons From This Year’s Society of Garden Designers Awards Finalists

January 30, 2025

Small gardens need clever and innovative design, from judicious lighting to plant-led solutions for making spaces more cohesive and, in town and cities, more private. Here are a few of our favorite ideas to steal from the compact gardens nominated for prizes at the annual Society of Garden Designers Awards, held in London in early February.

1. Backlight your plants for drama.

Above: Dark leaved plants such as Heuchera ‘Pink Panther’ are paired with intensely colored flowers, including the vibrant red of Azalea japonica ‘Rosa King’. The rich and elegant effect is enhanced by a carpet of mind-your-own-business, or Soleirolia soleirolii, an understorey of delicate ferns and perennials, and a restrained use of rocks and gravel. Photograph by Alister Thorpe.

This ingenious and beautiful courtyard for a flat in central London is based around the idea that the garden can be entirely moved from, or around, the space; 13 planters were installed, each equipped with castors so they can be moved easily for maintenance and to accommodate future changes. Designer Haruko Seki created views out into the Japanese-style garden from her client’s basement study, and despite limited space, the richly textural and layered planting, including acers, azeleas and camellias, has a dramatic depth. Frosted glass screens at the back of the garden, lit from behind, bring even more drama and atmosphere.

2. Use a continuous color.

Above: Here on the first floor terrace, architectural plants, including Tetrapanax papyrifer rex and Fatsia polycarpa, make the case for a garden in shades of green. Photograph by Mischa Haller.

In this north London project, Adolfo Harrison transforms a series of small and awkward areas on different levels into a cohesive series of spaces, including a basement courtyard, a first floor terrace, a roof garden and an open core extending from the basement to the top of the house. The multi-level space becomes a vertical forest, while red accents in walls, furniture, and accessories join the areas together and lead the eye up through the planting.

3. Craft a journey.

Above: Irregular tiled walls provide a dark backdrop to lush planting, while the choice of planting materials throughout the garden provides habitats, supporting biodiversity. Photograph by Alister Thorpe.

This atmospheric and transporting garden, like so many town gardens, was once a plain square of grass. But designer Stefano Marinaz breaks up the 10m x 10m space with a winding path that takes visitors on an immersive journey through rich and textural planting. He used multi-stem trees like ginkgo, flowering cherries, and pines, creating a natural woodland canopy. Grasses such as Sesleria autumnalis ‘Greenlee Hybrid’ and Deschampsia cespitosa ‘Goldtau’ add texture and movement.

4. Blur the boundaries.

Above: Trachycarpus fortunei, Arbutus unedo, Magnolia grandiflora, Dicksonia antartica, Trachelospermum jasminoides and Ficus carica ‘Brunswick’ bring a year-round evergreen presence and a slightly Mediterranean feel. Photograph by Rachel Warne.

Even in the heart of a bustling city the borrowed landscape presents opportunities. In this courtyard by designers Lucie Conochie and Jane Heather, the neighboring trees blend with an arrangement of shrubs and architectural plants, most of which are contained in planters of various sizes and natural tones.

5. Invest in small (but statement-making) trees.

Above: Designed to peak in spring and autumn, when the owners are celebrating family birthdays, the textural haze of planting features ornamental grasses like Calamagrostis, Deschampsia and Hakonecloa as well as swathes of Fritillaria meleagris, Narcissi and white tulips for spring. Photograph by Alister Thorpe.

Deep and generously planted borders surround this city garden designed by George Cullis. A deep vegetative layer at the far end of the garden screens off a neighboring block of flats, while subtle panels of slatted trellis and two stunning multi-stem Amelanchier lemarkii trees create privacy around a generous dining terrace.

6. Create zones for living.

Above: Sections of copper beech hedge create structure and layers in the garden and also draw the eye to the magnificent mature copper beech tree above while multi-stem Crataegus prunifolia trees add another screening layer. Photograph by Ella Scott.

Clever layers and big blocks of soft, textural planting break up this south London garden, creating a sense of intrigue. Designer Barbara Samitier dispensed with the lawn in favor of soft woodland planting, with foxgloves, actaea, persicaria, and ferns bringing soft color to shady areas. A beautiful reclaimed Indian wooden gate cleverly conceals one end of the garden with a skateboard ramp and outdoor gym.

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