An urban garden can often be a veritable oasis from all the commotion of urban living. To get it right takes time and patience to bring all the disparate elements together. We have the knowledge and experience of hundreds of prior projects to help make your dream garden a reality.

     Designing an urban garden is an exciting opportunity to think outside the box and be creative, but it can also be just as limiting, which is why we first assess what the space will allow. An urban garden should always be aesthetically pleasing. When you’re not using it, you’ll certainly be able to see it from the house, so it’s especially important that your garden does the space justice. We work with our clients, using their ideas as a starting point to create something that will satisfy their tastes. But, of course, it’s not always possible to have everything you want. Some features you may have pictured in your mind might not be suitable for the space available, which is why the design process is a collaborative one in which you help us to help you. Working this way allows us to arrive at acceptable compromises so that, come construction time, your happiness will be certain. The finished product may even surprise you.

     Urban gardens vary in design, but we stress certain necessities that all gardens need. A lot of the time, it simply isn’t viable to have the lush, flower-filled meadow of your dreams. The garden should be a meeting point between the natural world and the city. When working with concrete, you can never go wrong with straight lines. Curves and circular shapes can help to make a garden seem less boxed-in, certainly, but they bring with them their own limitations. It can make it difficult to arrange plants in any other way, creating ‘pinch points’ where there isn’t enough room, disrupting the feng shui. One advantage of square and rectangular gardens is that the space can easily be broken up with planted flora as well as paths and other features. Doing so will not only create a lovely contrast of country-inspired and urban environments, but it will also help make your garden appear larger. It’s also important to bear in mind where furniture or seating might be placed, as well as lighting, and to build around this.

     Architecture is one thing, but planting is another. To further emphasize the contrast between country and urban, lavish planting is always a good choice. The lusher the better. This will offset the starkness of the concrete areas while attracting all manner of pollinating insects such as bees and butterflies. The greenery will make the garden come alive, creating an ideal space for relaxation and communing with nature while in the city. But remember, the object is to create an urban garden, not an urban jungle. Be economical with your choice of flowers and plants, including with colour palate, as too many hydrangeas can make a garden garish and overpowering. The aim is something simple and unique that will be your own private retreat in the middle of the city. Check out more Gardens at http://www.gardenclublondon.co.uk/