One of the most satisfying parts of designing is giving clients a garden they didn’t know they had.
In the city, outdoor space is at a premium so I love to create an oasis with somewhere to sit and read a book, sip coffee, perhaps eat outdoors in summer, often in a space little more than 5 x 2 metres.
Many cities in Britain and Ireland have streets and streets of Victorian terraced houses, created in the 19th century with small yards. Over the years, kitchen and bathroom extensions have eaten into this outdoor space, which are now often used as storage for bins and unwanted clutter from the house. It always surprises me. Here is a real asset , an extra room outdoors – a retreat in summer, add a firepit and retreat to it in winter, add lighting and look out at it from indoors.
Here are some which we have transformed:
BEFORE:
An uninspiring space with unpleasant outlook.
Uninspiring city courtyard
AFTER :
Ugly cupboard removed and replaced by a smart shed, trellis added, lush planting.
A private outdoor retreat in the city.
BEFORE:
Another wasted space, a potential outdoor room.
AFTER :
A good tidy up, create storage, dig over and plant up beds.
BEFORE:
Another wasted space, eaten into by a bathroom extension.
BEFORE : unused and unloved space behind a terraced house.
AFTER :
Trellis, new paving and planting.
Transformed into an outdoor room
Here are some more ideas if you have a tiny urban plot. I loved this productive indoor/out garden “The Pantry” at Bloom 2014. More here.
The gardens below were created on a former car park in front of a row of terraced cottages:
Circular block paving creates interest; a bubbling water feature is a welcome sound in the city.
Space for a barbecue and a log store. Use the vertical space too for climbers clothing a wall or trellis.
Willow fencing creates privacy in this garden; there’s even room for a compost bin.
So think creatively. Create your own oasis.
It will bring its own rewards now that Spring is finally arriving.
Jardin 
Great ideas. In the future, I would like to downsize from my 3/4 acre and still have lots of flowers.
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Thank you – hope the post has offered some inspiration.
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Such great changes…what a charming little garden and welcoming place to sit!
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Thanks so much Laurin – amazing what you can do in a tiny space.
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Super ideas–well done
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Thank you so much Christopher – hope it will inspire you in the garden.
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great gardens !
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Thank you! Most are gardens we made here in Ireland but the last two are Belgian gardens.
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It’s great to see the smallest spaces being put to use. A well executed terrace house garden can be just as inspiring and lovely as grander gardens!
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Thanks so much Matt, what a lovely comment! City dwellers are always delighted to sit in a space and imagine they are amongst Nature.
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It’s always a very welcome sight to see a new post of yours, and this one is so interesting and full of ideas and inspiration. I must search your blog to see if you have help for me as I try to transform a totally neglected front garden which faces NE and is therefore quite shady and cold. I am guilty of just ignoring the space, which is exactly what all the people with the gardens you have featured in this post have done.
I am quite excited now to think what I might create!
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Thanks so much Karen!
Good luck with your front garden transformation.
Your back garden, with its lovely views, flowers and veg, is enough to make you forget about the front!
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That is so nice of you to say that! I don’t think the people in the village forget it though and I am trying to see this disaster area as an opportunity 🙂
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I love the before and after photos — you created something warm and welcoming.
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Thanks a lot Cindi. Just small projects but a big impact for the owners.
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Wonderful transformations.
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Many thanks Cynthia. A garden of even tiny proportions is such an asset.
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