When we first saw this sloping town garden it was a gloomy uninviting space with a patchy lawn and nowhere to place a chair.  With the client’s blessing, the grass was removed and the area excavated to make way for a terrace on the same level as the house.  

A curved stone retaining wall was built at an ideal height to provide extra seating when required. Solid sandstone steps were laid out in a gentle arc allowing access to a brightly coloured bench at the top of the garden.

Though the garden is south facing it is shaded by a mature Conifer tree. To keep it bright we used a pretty palette of woodland plants that can thrive in these conditions, including ferns, hellebores and foxgloves. In the lighter spots near the house hydrangeas, geraniums and a generous underplanting of bulbs provide interest for much of the year.