When her photographer friend Lisa Linder moved to this Victorian coach house in Hampstead, 20 years ago, Lisa and husband Neil needed somewhere for their two young sons to burn off energy and so the whole plot was hidden under artificial grass<\/a>. In the intervening years, the London clay compacted under many thousands of football sessions, so that by the time the boys had grown up, water was regularly pooling on one side of the garden and threatening to damage the boundary wall.<\/p>\n Coming to Lisa\u2019s rescue in 2018, the project began with the excavation of huge trenches for drainage pipes, as well as land anchors, that now hold the wall in place. With little horticultural knowledge but a strong sense of aesthetics, Lisa wanted somewhere lush and green, with space for her still sports-mad sons to play table tennis. Sheila steered her away from the idea of a lawn<\/a> towards a buff-coloured gravel<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cGrass was always going to be a struggle in this shady<\/a> space. These Cotswold pebbles are smooth enough to walk on barefoot and bring light into what was a dark spot.\u201d The same soft, buff tone flows seamlessly from the gravel to the terrace of York stone by the house, enhancing the sense of space.<\/p>\n The paving slabs have been arranged in irregularly spaced stripes, interplanted with low-growing Soleirolia soleirolii<\/em>. \u201cThis design helps with water permeability and provides a strong graphic counterbalance to the loose, organic feel of the gravel area.\u201d<\/p>\n To the rear of the garden, the boundary fence is blurred by a curtain of mature Hedera helix<\/em><\/a> and fronted by an existing Betula pendula<\/em><\/a> and acacia, along with another double-trunked Betula pendula<\/em> near the house.<\/p>\n Between the birches is a multi-stemmed Betula utilis<\/em> subsp. jacquemontii<\/em><\/a>, added to lighten a gloomy corner and distract the eye from the awkwardly obtuse angle.<\/p>\n These trees<\/a> informed Sheila\u2019s decision to create a woodland<\/a> feel here.\u201cI jokingly refer to it as the \u2018glamour woodland\u2019; an excuse to plant a pretty but reasonably self-sustaining scheme of plants suited to the partially shaded conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Key plants include shaggy tufts of forest-dwelling Hakonechloa macra<\/em> and ferns Polystichum setiferum<\/em> and Blechnum spicant<\/em>. The planting is loose and naturalistic<\/a>, with hummocks and mounds gently defining the central open space, as though plants have self-seeded there, and the planted areas improved with topsoil, as the clay and rubble on the site was unsuitable as a growing medium. Sheila and Lisa wanted the garden to be largely green and the perennials were chosen for their muted charms.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted subtle, delicate flowerheads on wiry stems, and a variety of interesting flower shapes, but nothing too brash.\u201d So, floating among waves of grasses are the fluffy, crimson spikes of Bistorta amplexicaulis<\/em><\/a> Taurus (= \u2018Blotau\u2019) and the airy umbellifers of Selinum wallichianum<\/em>, each creating seasonal interest without stealing the show.<\/p>\n The family all love the new garden, and the couple\u2019s sons spend just as much time out here as ever. Now it\u2019s established, the garden needs little in the way of watering or maintenance, although the plants do find themselves carefully manicured by Lisa, who approaches them with her photographer\u2019s eye for visual perfection.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/18\/2022\/08\/DSC9719-1af6a64.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
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