A colourful courtyard garden for a young client in South London

In a small space that lacked natural light,  the challenge with this modest London courtyard garden was to make best use of the space for entertaining and still have plenty of room for a planting scheme filled with classic roses, salvias, nepetas, penstemons, creeping thyme and clematis. 

 A light blue limewash from Francesca’s Paints provides the backdrop for this layered planting palette of deep reds, electric blues, pale pinks and terracottas. 

This garden has been featured in English Garden magazine and Good Housekeeping, and in 2025 it was shortlisted for an award by the Society of Garden and Landscape Designers.