A sense of discovery

The garden for this property near London’s Queen’s Park was part of a complete renovation of the house. It had been abandoned for years, and we loved the jungle effect that we discovered in the garden during our first site meeting. However, many of the plants were quite invasive and they had spread so extensively that the journey to the end of the 50m-site was almost impossible.

It was very important to us to retain the sense of discovery we experienced on our first visit, and to preserve the maturity of the garden. Consequently, invasive plants like the bamboo and bramble were removed, while important trees like the honey locust (Gleditsia) by the terrace were retained.

We created a new terrace as part of the house extension, and then laid a meandering path to take you on a journey from the house through the garden, discovering plants and enjoying views framed tree ferns, or the metal arch that is a key element of our design.

The planting offers interest throughout the year, and in these pictures of the garden photographed in the middle of July you can spot Geranium ‘Rozanne’, Tricyrtis formosana, Astrantia major, Anemone x hybrida ‘Honorine Jobert’, Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Golf ball’, and Hakonechloa macra.

The project was completed in collaboration with Atelier Maia

Garden built: Shoots & Leaves · Photography: Alister Thorpe · Awards: Society of Garden Designers (SGD) Awards Winner (2022)