Pure and simple
Designer Sheila Jack’s sparing use of colour in her own city garden transforms a partially shaded space into a luminous oasis of calm, just when she needs it at the end of a busy day
IN BRIEF
What Small, urban garden.
Where West London.
Size Roughly 5m x 12m.
Soil Clay loam.
Climate Temperate, south-facing garden.
Hardiness zone USDA 9.
For garden designer Sheila Jack, it was the installation of an outdoor studio that led to a redesign of her own garden. Home is a Victorian terraced house in west London, with a typical rectangular plot. Measuring roughly 5m by 12m, the garden runs the width of the house. “It was very traditional, long and narrow with a lawn and terrace,” says Sheila. “Then we put a studio at the end and wanted to make a relationship between it and the house. We needed a pathway, something that would be good all year round.”
The feeling of the garden was important too. “We wanted somewhere where we could sit outside, that had different areas and moods but also something green and pretty. We wanted that feeling of escape.” The planting was inspired by childhood visits to Sissinghurst and the idea of ‘moonlight’ gardens, with mostly white flowers that shimmer as it gets dark.
Facing south, the garden is sheltered and slightly shaded by the surrounding houses. Sheila was happy to get rid of the lawn and that allowed her to free up more space for plants. The result is simple and relaxed. There’s a buff York-stone terrace by the house for dining, with pots and a couple of lounge chairs. A single step runs all the way across the garden, taking you up from the terrace to a semi-circular gravel path that cuts through the borders and leads to an informal seating area in front of the studio.
Sheila cleared out most of the original plants, keeping a large camellia and a Carpenteria californica that, with judicious pruning, has turned into a small, multi-stemmed tree. The starting point for the rest of the planting was a trip to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, where she bought roses, irises and grasses. All the Iris ‘Cliffs of Dover’ have come from three plants, divided over the years. More layers have gone in over time. Yew domes add structure and winter interest, along with Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’ near the terrace. A Cornus kousa var. chinensis has replaced a large, arching rose in front of the studio, and the walls are smothered in a mixture of ivy, Trachelospermum jasminoides and roses.
Sheila loves the seasonality of the space.“It starts off quite low with lots of bulbs, then the grasses and perennials start coming through. In May, the irises go into bud, then roses become the focus, along with Allium ‘Mont Blanc’, Alchemilla mollis and foxgloves. I also add in annuals such as Ammi majus and cosmos. It gets higher and wilder towards the end of the year, with Chamaenerion angustifolium ‘Album’, Thalictrum Splendide White (= ‘Fr21034’), Valeriana officinalis and umbellifers. There’s a softness to it.”
There’s a lushness to it too. “It is a white garden,” says Sheila, “but not exclusively so. It’s mainly green. White is lovely as it stands out in the shade and is a simple foil to other things, but it’s more about the layers, and transparency and textures. Sometimes I wonder if a pale palette is a bit restrictive, but within a small space you have to edit. You don’t need everything.”
USEFUL INFORMATION
Find out more about Sheila’s work at sheilajack.com
Choosing plants for a small, white garden
In gardens with a limited colour palette, foliage plays a key role. Try combining plants with a variety of leaf shapes and textures for more visual impact. In smaller spaces, designers will use a high proportion of evergreens, up to 70-80 per cent, for year-round interest. Think too about seasonal interest, with two or three stars in each season.
Look for perennials with a long season of interest. Veronicastrum virginicum ‘Diane’ adds height in July and August. Anemone x hybrida ‘Honorine Jobert’ is useful for shadier corners, with lovely single flowers on long, wiry stems in autumn. Libertia chilensis is a member of the same family as Iris and a good alternative, evergreen and architectural, with narrow, strap-shaped leaves. At ground level, Bergenia ‘Bressingham White’ is useful for underplanting shrubs or for tough spots where other things struggle. Sesleria autumnalis is a fantastic lime-green grass with silvery-white flowers in summer.
Evergreen flowering shrubs give a strong framework to the garden. Choisya ternata or Osmanthus x burkwoodii are attractive low-maintenance options with scented flowers. Viburnum tinus ‘Eve Price’ flowers early in the year when little else is out.
Add height with climbers. Clematis armandi is vigorous and fast growing, with lance-shaped, evergreen leaves and masses of fragrant flowers in early spring. Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris works well in shade.
Layer in bulbs for spring interest. Stagger snowdrops, Galanthus nivalis, with pure-white Narcissus ‘Thalia’, then Tulipa ‘White Triumphator’, T. ‘Purissima’ or T. ‘Spring Green’.