71 clever ideas for city gardens
For city dwellers, even a small front garden can be a huge selling point when buying a house. A small garden of any stature can be a blessing and provide sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of daily life. Whether it's just big enough for a table and chairs surrounded by a few outdoor plant pots, or you have space to plant a kitchen garden or flowerbed, there are plenty of ways to maximise your urban jungle. Why not learn how to make a compost heap and grow some fruit and vegetables at home? Even those without a proper garden might be able to carve out a little green space on a roof terrace or balcony for some pretty plant pots, (and there are even garden design apps out there to help you plan. From lush planting to the best decking ideas, seating areas and pretty planters, our gallery of city gardens has you covered.
Inspiration for the idyllic city garden
Kensington Leverne1/71A charming terraced garden in this Chelsea townhouse lends itself to long summer lunches, helped along by a handmade table topped with moroccan tiles and chairs from Neptune.
Jason Ingram2/71From the moment you step outside the doors at the back of this house in Chiswick, you are enveloped in a colourful, tactile mass of plants.
alister thorpe3/71The beautiful magnolia and cherry trees in this London garden remain the centrepiece in an artful design by Sheila Jack
The client’s brief was to preserve the atmosphere of an old town garden but also to open it up – bringing greenery closer to the house through the year, as well as a crescendo of blossom in spring and more low-key flowers in early summer. Above the retaining wall, a slope is informally planted with ferns mixed with rounded Asarum europaeum and Muehlenbeckia complexa (maidenhair vine). Flowers are white, edited down to Allium ‘Mont Blanc’ in spring and Anemone x hybrida ‘Honorine Jobert’ in the autumn.
Alister Thorpe4/71'The smaller the garden, the more important it is to curate its contents,' says Sheila Jack, a designer who knows a thing or two about chic simplicity. Keen to create a garden worthy of their recently renovated house in west London, Australian expats James and Olivia Markham enlisted the help of Sheila Jack. She has combined a clever planting palette featuring a mix of foliage with curved motifs that echo the interiors.
Here, a beautiful multi-stemmed Tibetan cherry (Prunus serrula) planted near the house provides year-round interest, with its gleaming coppery brown bark, spring blossom and autumn leaf colour. At its base, set among a froth of ferns and knotted cranesbill, a clay water bowl captures reflections of the sky
Boz Gagovski5/71Daniel and Benedict planted star jasmine along the front wall of their Hackney house, remembering how much they had fallen in love with the scent on warm Italian nights when they had just met.
“The garden is little more than another green clad room,” say Benedict and Daniel, but it's heaven on a summer's eve having a drink after a long day. It feels worlds away from the dusty streets of London."
Michael Sinclair6/71Butter Wakefield was called in to rework Rita Konig's garden in west London as part of the wider renovation of her home. She has created a magical courtyard space, filled with shade tolerant planting (plenty of topiary and leafy plants) along with flowers in containers, and climbing plants that adorn trellises on the walls.
Michael Sinclair7/71At the back of Rita Konig's smart London flat, Butter Wakefield has created a leafy haven, featuring an acer and evergreen topiary.
Mark Anthony Fox8/71The garden in this Grade II-listed London townhouse is small but with with one of west London's prettiest garden squares right outside the front door, the priority was to steal space from the garden and use it to make the interior more workable instead.
Paul Massey9/71At the home of artist Phoebe Dickinson, the antique metal table was found in Tetbury. A mirror on the back wall reflects the light and makes the space feel larger.
Christopher Horwood10/71The stylish garden at Lucy Williams' west London house is modern, chic and spacious, a true oasis in a bustling city. With sparing yet comfortable furniture and easier-to-maintain plantings (most of which will remain green even during a cold winter), the garden is a space of year-round calm.
Rachel Warne11/71Filled with peonies, foxgloves and a mass of roses, the romantic walled garden of this Spitalfields townhouse was sensitively created by young designer Miria Harris for Ben Adler and his late wife Pat Llewellyn. She built raised beds to reduce the visual impact of the high boundary walls, laid paths in Vande Moortel Belgian brick (a contemporary choice with a timeless quality) and incorporated several antique ornaments, including a 14th-century stone font.
Paul Massey12/71In a London flat by Ebba Thott of Sigmar, double steel doors leading to the decking were designed by Ebba to give access from the main corridor. The small garden has wooden decking and is large enough for an outdoor dining table – all thanks to an excellent use of space.
13/71Artist and maker Bridie Hall lives in a delightful north London house, which benefits from a sliver of garden. Classic flagstones have been used to pave it and support Bridie's bistro table and plethora of potted plants – ideal for an outdoor respite.
Alexander James14/71The tiny courtyard at the home of the interior designer Helen Green (featured in the May 2012 issue of House & Garden) comprises of simple but elegant touches: a trellis of roses, a feature stone water plinth and plants potted in a variety of vessels, from wooden crates to wicker baskets and pewter milk pails. It is paved with traditional bricks in a basket weave pattern - the grouting is gently mossed over, softening the lines.
Michael Sinclair15/71In the back garden of Shalini Misra's north London house, generous timber decking sits outside the french windows, and a metal spiral staircase connects the terrace and the upper-ground-floor deck. The dining table and chairs are from Chic Teak.
Eva Nemeth16/71The relaxed second terrace of the garden designer Emily Erlam's terraced Georgian house uses pale gravel to bring light to an area sheltered by a mature crab apple. Simple, comfortable furniture is nestled against a wall of Trachelospermum jasminoides and a clipped structural planting of box, Ilex crenata and Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Golf Ball’ in terracotta pots.
Andrew Montgomery17/71The garden designer Marcus Barnett's small urban garden is used as an extension to the family house. The slate-clad terrace, which flows seamlessly from the kitchen. The terrace is surrounded by borders containing soft-textured herbaceous plants and grasses, with box spheres and hummocks for structure.
Anson Smart18/71Behind this house in Sydney designed by Arent&Pyke, an open seating area offers impressive waterside views. The decking is made of blackbutt timber and the furniture is a mix of mid-century designs by Thonet and contemporary pieces from Italian brand Paola Lenti.
Benjamin Edwards19/71Designed by Charles Harman, the garden at interior designer Emma Sims-Hilditch's London townhouse features a Neptune dining table and custom bench. Cushions are in a mix of fabrics from Christopher Farr Cloth.
Paul Massey20/71Florist Paul Hawkins has created a comfortable country cottage in town at his Chelsea house, filling it with his signature sophisticated arrangements for the festive season. Whilst Paul did not have space for a full garden, however, he nevertheless has added the perfect amount of greenery by way of geranium plants and other shrubs out front for a verdant entrance.
Paul Massey21/71Butter Wakefield designed the garden in this crisp London townhouse. In the garden, white gravel and lime chippings are flanked by paths of London brick, with a small terrace created from reclaimed cobblestones. Small bushes and shrubbery make for a verdant space, too, as do the potted plants that line the upper balcony.
Paul Massey22/71The search for a London pied-à-terre brought Ben Pentreath’s clients unexpectedly to this Georgian house, which he has reconfigured and decorated in his layered signature style. The house's garden features a steel-framed conservatory by Serres d’Antan, the large Georgian cupboard from Alexander von Westenholz holding gardening equipment. The perfect half-in, half-out approach to gardening (and a marvellous way to dine ‘al fresco’, even on cold or rainy days).
Eva Nemeth23/71In the middle of noisy, vibrant Brixton, Daisy Garnett has made a city garden that lures you outside and enfolds you in a kind of flower-filled heaven. Created over the past 10 years, it has evolved and grown in parallel with Daisy’s own interest in gardening.
Alexander James24/71A Victorian villa was given a meticulous rethink by architectural design studio De Rosee Sa, resulting in the exciting reinvention of a south London family home. The bold rear extension opens out onto the garden redesigned by Miria Harris. A paved seating area next to the house is separated by borders from the lawn.
Eva Nemeth25/71Purple spires of Verbascum phoeniceum ‘Violetta’, ‘Munstead’ lavender, crimson tufted flowerheads of Cirsium rivulare ‘Atropurpureum’ and apricot orange Geum ‘Totally Tangerine’ energise the space of Emily Erlam's London garden. The relaxed second terrace, where pale gravel brings light to the area sheltered by a mature crab apple. Simple, comfortable furniture is nestled against a wall of Trachelospermum jasminoides and a clipped structural planting of box, Ilex crenata and Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Golf Ball’ in terracotta pots.
Simon Upton26/71A steel staircase by Agnes Jones swoops into the garden of this house designed by Nicky Haslam and Studio QD. This city garden features a range of textures, with evergreen planting, soft borders, a stretch of decking and some rather unusual patio and stone flooring too, as well as lots of art.
Owen Gale27/71This small London garden was designed by Piers Beeching, who used a pretty bench as a focal point and added an abundance of potted plants for colour and protection from neighbouring gardens. By using plants of varying height, Piers has created a sense of scale in the space.
Michael Sinclair28/71The garden of this richly-layered Kensington house transformed by Todhunter Earle was designed by Tania Compton. The space is covered in timber decking, with plant pots around the edges and a small pool in the middle.
Ngoc Minh Ngo29/71'I am averse to polite town gardens,’ explains Todd Longstaffe-Gowan, the designer of this Kensington garden he created six years ago for its artist owner. ‘I don’t want lots of box edging and formality – I like designing spaces with a sense of fun.’
Rachael Smith30/71This view from Louise Jones' garden back towards her house shows us just how a west London home can have all the charm and comfort of an English country cottage.
Michael Sinclair31/71Lush greenery can transform an urban space into a verdant jungle, as seen in this verdant garden in south London. Plant lots of grasses and shrubs for the full effect.
Eva Nemeth32/71An expert in turning the townhouse gardens of Bruges into exquisite green spaces, Piet Blanckaert has used topiary and box clipped into soft domes and finials to blur the lines of this L-shaped space. The main building is a historic townhouse, parts of which date back to the 16th century, while the other is a modern, glass-fronted building housing a swimming pool. The two areas are quite different in feel because of the contrasting styles of architecture, but they needed to work together. ‘The connecting point is a covered terrace with an outdoor fireplace,’ says Piet. ‘From there, you can see into both parts of the garden.’
Eva Nemeth33/71In the same Bruges garden, a narrow canal in the garden reflects vegetation and sky, edged by a serpentine hedge of cloud-pruned box. It creates an illusion of space in the small courtyard. Hummocks of greenery form a soft contrast to the canal’s geometric lines.
Lucas Allen34/71The crazy paving at this townhouse in Bray was inspired by Gertrude Jekyll. Crittall windows ensure the extension is filled with light.
Paul Massey35/71In a Victorian house in London, the double steel doors leading to the terrace were designed by Ebba Thott of Sigmar to give access from the main corridor. A rustic rocking chair and brightly patterned cushion give the London flat's outdoor space a relaxed atmosphere.
Rachel Warne36/71A quiet spot in the lawn, surrounded by flowerbeds, in Sam McKnight's London garden.
Alexander James37/71In this restored eighteenth-century house in Spitalfields, a new conservatory has been added (in keeping with the rest of the house), which opens onto the tinest of gardens - just enough room for some greenery and a garden bench.
Kara Rosenlund38/71Anna Spiro has added a colourful note to the decking outside her Brisbane cottage with terracotta planters in an antique plant stand, and a bright blue door.
Helen Cathcart39/71The delightfully overgrown (but still maintained) garden at Melissa Richardson’s house in Brixton is furnished with tables, chairs and a daybed from various antique markets.
Benjamin Edwards40/71This sunken terrace garden at a 19th-century terraced house designed by Bryan O'Sullivan has a living wall of plants designed by the landscape artist Elizabeth Staveley of LandARC.
Tim Beddow41/71Curtains in Sarah Vanrenen's 'Sunda' linen in brown frame the doorway to the garden of her London home, where the raised beds were planted by Tulip Landscapes.
Rachael Smith42/71Louisa Jones developed a passion for David Austin roses when she was planning the garden of her Victorian cottage in south west London. She planted an arbour of roses to separate her patio and lawn.
Alicia Taylor43/71Architect Alan Higgs converted a Georgian pub building in London into a subtly modern flat for himself. He constructed this sleek roof terrace to maximise the natural light within his interiors. A line of pleached trees planted in pots softens his urban rooftop view. The white hydrangeas edging the decking are the perfect floral choice for any minimalist.
Sharyn Cairns44/71The back garden of a west London house transformed by designer and architect Rabih Hage has been divided into two sections, one functioning as an outdoor seating area with a contemporary design and the other as a more lush and verdant area. This guarantees the best of both in a city garden that is decent-sized but not huge.
Michael Sinclair45/71The spacious back garden is one of the elements that has kept Rupert and Charles attached to their elegant London house; it is planted with 2,000 tulips each year. It really is magnificent, and in terms of its size and its style, so unusual for a London garden. Charles's eyes light up when he talks about it - even details such as the new shelving in the greenhouse, where seedlings, succulents and subtropicals grow. Upstairs, the main bathroom also has its own terrace that makes the most of this view.
Andreas Von Einsiede46/71This townhouse garden off Portobello Road (as featured in the May 2012 issue of House & Garden) provides a sanctuary from the bustling streets of Notting Hill. With the dining area situated on the roof terrace, the garden has been simply, symmetrically designed for pure visual pleasure; a mock Roman bust takes centre stage.
If you're unable to take your alfresco dining elsewhere, opt for fold-up or portable tables and chairs, which can be easily removed when you want your garden to function solely as a beautiful green space.
Use your paving to create structure. Here, encaustic mosaic-patterned tiles delineate the beds edged with box.
Elsa Young47/71Land Gardener Henrietta Courtauld has created a shed studio as a workspace in the small but thriving vegetable garden of her London home, for a completely out-of-the-city feel.
Simon Brown48/71In the garden of Butter Wakefield's London home, a wildflower meadow sweeps across the centre of the lawn, which is handsomely framed by clipped box pyramids on either side. This pocket of Hammersmith harks back to the bucolic era of Stamford Brook.
Michael Sinclair49/71In the Twickenham home of Lady Wakefield, a path bordered by topiary cones leads back to the house from the garden.
Rachel Whiting50/71The young designer Octavia Dickinson's Battersea flat captures the essence of an English cottage, no more so than in the narrow slice of garden that she's decorated with potted trees and plants and a white iron bench, table ( from Anne Fowler in Tetbury) and chairs (from Potting Up).
51/71Double doors lead out from the kitchen to the garden of this Martin-Hulbert-designed house in London, which is paved with reclaimed York stone. Martin designed the pergola and the planting is by Philip Edwards. The dining chairs are the ‘Air-Chair’ by Jasper Morrison, from Magis, around a Knoll table.
Jason Ingram52/71An extension at Adam Sykes' California-inspired house in south London is clad in Siberian larch. The kitchen in the extension leads out to a paved seating area in the garden, designed by Town & Country Gardens.
53/71Even the most compact paved area can house a comfortable seating area, as this space in a London house designed by Martin Hulbert shows.
Simon Upton54/71Herringbone brick paving gives a country feel to Keith McNally of Balthazar fame's Notting Hill garden. Find similar French cafe chairs from Maison Gatti (prices starting from €280).
55/71White furniture adds a modern touch to the lush planting of this garden in a west London townhouse designed by Shalini Misra. A profusion of rocks and different styles of paving give the impression of a natural setting, while timber fencing is softened by climbing greenery.
Alexander James56/71A minimalist gravel area is broken up by trees in the garden of this Edwardian villa designed by William Smalley.
Andreas Von Einsiedel57/71Lizzie and Ion Florescu's two adjoining Chelsea town houses are shaped around an enchanting keyhole-shaped courtyard garden. From every part of the house, there are glimpses and vistas of this intriguing outdoor area, and several points of access to it. Above the kitchen, the owners have created a rooftop terrace garden that maximises on space.
Lucas Allen58/71When two architects bought one of the smallest houses in New York, they transformed the interior, creating a bijou interior with a sense of spaciousness that belies its exterior appearance. Leading out from the kitchen is a small enclosed garden with ivy topiary.
David Oliver59/71Interior designer Virginia Howard had no intention of moving from Knightsbridge to Pimlico, until a balcony flat in a nineteenth-century garden square changed her mind. The balcony of the elegant, Grade II-listed stucco building overlooks the garden square in central London, bringing the outside in.
Elsa Young60/71Resisting the idea of moving or expanding into the basement, the owners of this London house, Land Gardener Henrietta Courtauld, gave architect Maria Speake of Retrouvius the go-ahead to make some structural changes to give their family and business the space needed. Wrought-iron chairs and a table provide a place to take in the view on the roof terrace.
Simon Brown61/71In a nook of hedges and creative bamboo trellises, an al fresco dining area is framed by the handsome navy window of Butter Wakefield's London home. Being a garen deisgner herself, Butter was never going to let her own outdroor space go to waste. The concrete tiled flooring and stragetically placed pots and planters all help to create a serene little space, perfect for enjoying a glass of wine on a summer's evening.
62/71In this glorious communal city garden designed by Cameron Landscapes & Gardens, the clever use of space, with a table and benches encircled by trees and flowers, has created a relaxed and natural atmosphere.
Simon Brown63/71Garden designer Butter Wakefield has spent the past 18 years transforming her London garden into a flower-filled slice of the country in the city. Every last corner, nook and cranny is brought to life, with planting in terracotta pots and wooden crates, climbers up the wall and fence, and a mirror surrounded by foliage that cleverly reflects and accentuates the abundance of greenery.
Sharyn Cairns64/71Above a west London house designed by Rabih Hage is a vast and gorgeous roof garden. It features iroko decking, a barbecue, a Jacuzzi… and enough space to have a great party. The space looks even bigger thanks to the continuous use of wood panelling, expanding the vista up the back wall of the garden.
Andrew Montgomery65/71Jinny Blom's small city garden is a neatly walled space, replanted only months before this photograph was taken – talk about growth. Clipped box cubes contrasts with a clever planting scheme that mixes large-leaved exotic plants with cottage-garden favourites.
Lucas Allen66/71Designer Suzy Hoodless worked closely with Johnny Holland of Hackett Holland architects on the extensive renovation of this Victorian house in Notting Hill. Several clever, glazed elements give Johnny's conversion its particular allure. Undivided windows give a view all the way to the entrance hall, and reveal a double-height bespoke lighting installation, which hangs above the coffee table from Mint. The gorgeous little garden, landscaped by Alasdair Cameron, features white cobblestones, slim, silver-birch trees, and a living wall dotted with birdhouses. Out of view, on the lower-ground level and accessed from the basement, is a miniature smoking yard. Something of a sunken surrealist urban folly, resplendant with outdoor stone mantelpiece. See inside the house here.
Paul Massey67/71At Paul Priestman's mews house in Notting Hill, an outdoor area was created from nowhere by shortening the roof and adding a glass wall that cleverly allows natural light to flood the living room.
Lusas Allen68/71Richard Joseph of innovative kitchenware brand Joseph Joseph completely reconfigured the back of his Wandsworth house with the help of architect Daniel Adeshile, adding a kitchen and double-height dining room with six-metre-high glass doors that slide back to create a fluid link with the small garden at the rear.
'The only company that could make them that high with the thin frames was in Portugal,' says Richard. 'There was this big hole at the back of the house for three months waiting for the windows to arrive, and then we had to close the road and crane them in. It was a bit of a nightmare.' The enormous sliding creates an abundance of natural light and gives ample room for outdoor entertaining.
Ngoc Minh Ngo69/71Struggling for natural light? These steel french windows ensure an abundance of natural light in the sitting room of Jos and Annabel White's house in Manhattan's West Village. Try Clement Windows for something on the same scale, which would cost around £9,600 to supply, fix and glaze. Architecture by Basil Walter for BW Architects
Paul Massey70/71This stylish all-weather area created by Ebba Thott for her client's London home uses matchboard planks, which flow up the wall to create a bench for the table, and a planting area for the living wall.
71/71Pretty shuttered french doors lead out onto a paved seating area at this Belgravia townhouse. With its lush greenery, modern furniture, and traditional fencing, this garden is an ideal urban space.
