{"id":8476,"date":"2022-03-30T12:33:30","date_gmt":"2022-03-30T10:33:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gardensillustrated.com\/?p=76048"},"modified":"2022-03-30T12:42:22","modified_gmt":"2022-03-30T10:42:22","slug":"a-tiny-courtyard-garden-with-a-living-wall-in-utrecht","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/rss_feed\/a-tiny-courtyard-garden-with-a-living-wall-in-utrecht\/","title":{"rendered":"A tiny courtyard garden with a living wall in Utrecht"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Daisy Bowie-Sell\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 30 March 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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This courtyard garden, in the historic centre of Utrecht, did not have the most promising of starts. Previously a dusty little parking area for an imposing 19th-century townhouse, garden designer Erik Funneman says that the owner asked him for \u201ca green painting that he could enjoy day and night, all year round\u201d, while also retaining a spot to park his car. Erik, a passionate gardener since childhood, typically favours using lots of perennials<\/a> and grasses<\/a>, and strives to create layers in his gardens, from tree canopy down to groundcover<\/a>. \u201cHard landscaping<\/a> is important but, for me, it\u2019s all about the plants themselves and creating really green gardens that embrace nature and the seasons,\u201d he says. Read more about the garden below.<\/p>\n

In brief<\/strong><\/p>\n

What<\/strong> Residential courtyard garden. Where<\/strong> Utrecht, the Netherlands. Size<\/strong> Around 40 square metres. Soil<\/strong> Light, poor clay soil, full of sand and broken bricks, improved with a compost-topsoil mix where needed; largely a container garden. Climate<\/strong> Temperate but shaded by surrounding buildings. West facing. Hardiness zone<\/strong> USDA 8.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Sietske de Vries<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n

What was once an unloved car-parking area outside a Utrecht townhouse has been transformed into a lush courtyard garden, enclosed by a living green wall with a luxurious mix that includes Geranium macrorrhizum<\/em>, Carex elata<\/em> \u2018Aurea\u2019, Soleirolia soleirolii<\/em> and numerous ferns. The tall Sampei Outdoor lamp by Davide Groppi allows the owner to use this green space to read in the evenings. Learn more on how to make a living green wall here.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Sietske de vries<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n

Black bamboo, Phyllostachys nigra<\/em>, underplanted with Molinia\u00a0caerulea<\/em>\u00a0\u2018Moorhexe\u2019 and Muehlenbeckia complexa<\/em>, is planted against the boundary wall of the dining area. Erik stripped the leaves away from the lower 1.2m of the bamboo\nto highlight the dark stems and create a link to the garden\u2019s black walls.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Sietske de vries<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n

For the \u2018hanging garden\u2019 at the back of the courtyard, Erik has used a densely planted mix of textures and colours, including the dramatic leaves of Fatsia japonica<\/em> \u2018Spider\u2019s Web\u2019 and delicate silver foliage of Artemisia \u2018Powis Castle\u2019.<\/p>\n

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