Synopsis
Garden designer, Emma Plunket, has made the most of her long narrow city garden by making it feel much bigger than it is by using a classic design ploy of dividing it widthways.
One eye-catching feature is the line of Photinia x fraseri Red Robin lollipops that stretch across the garden. In spring the pink-red leaves followed by clouds of white flowers make a real show. Emma has also planted a beech hedge, Fagus sylvatica, across the centre, which hides half of the garden from view from the house and increases the sense of space. Plus, it adds all year round screen as it clings onto its rusty orange autumn leaves throughout the winter until the new buds start to emerge and it provides a shelter for the birds. To add structure, she has planted Box spheres and Pittosorum Tom Thumb globes that are softened by mounds of pheasant grass, (Anemanthele lessoniana).
Instead of having a lawn, Emma has opted to use groundcover plants. Two of her favourites are wild violets and sweet woodruff, (Galium odoratum), which self-seed wherever they can. The walls and wire fence are hidden by climbers such as Clematis armandii, which add to the sense of secrecy and seclusion. It is the perfect sanctuary to escape too from the hustle and bustle of London life.
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