Tiny Courtyard Garden – I need space!

This tiny courtyard garden in Hackney, East London measures no more than two metres by four metres. As is the case in most London properties this client was keen to maximize her limited outdoor space as much as possible. She wanted to introduce some greenery, but also needs the space to be practical and versatile for a multitude of uses.

We decided to create bold a diagonal line at a 45° angle to make the space feel larger via optical illusion. Indian sandstone paving at 400 mm by 600 mm in size will be laid in a stretch of course. Backed to the house on the left then finishing short of the fence on the right to allow for small planting pockets, mainly climbers. In between the lines of the sandstone paving, creeping thyme will be planted to green up the ground. Black polished pebbles or Scottish cobbles would also provide strips for a garden-texture and add interest to the flooring towards the bottom right of the garden. Garden seating will be made as a dining and entertaining area.

Gabion would be used as this will be able to accommodate the concrete in the garden thereby reducing the costs to get the garden completed. With any small space is imperative to maximise the boundary. Here the floor needs to be retained principally by hard landscaping, make sure the you include as many climbers to green up the space and make it feel like garden as much as possible. Heavily laid spaces have a tendency to feel a bit like backyard rather than green space. Just because spaces are small there is no reason why you can’t think big and create a green area.