A Sydenham garden for entertaining

South East London

Previously unusable and dominated by broken paving, invasive bamboo roots and a drained old pond, this Sydenham garden was transformed into a welcoming space for entertaining and everyday life.

A generous new terrace provides plenty of room for outdoor dining and the clients' pizza oven, while contemporary porcelain paving and soft Cotswold chippings create a simple, restrained colour palette. Space was also incorporated for a bike shed, small greenhouse and a productive vegetable growing area within the planting beds.

Privacy was an important consideration, with a neighbouring garden at a higher level overlooking the space. Tall trellis fencing creates greater enclosure while allowing climbing plants to gradually soften the boundary as they establish.

Generous new planting brings life back into the garden, while a pair of multi-stem Amelanchiers adds height, structure and balance.

The result is a practical, contemporary garden that makes much better use of every part of the site, creating a relaxed setting for entertaining while leaving plenty of room for the planting to mature and the garden to evolve over time.

Landscape contractor: Beauview Landscapes

"

This was the first time we've had something like this done and Conor made it a joy to do. From the start, he was incredibly meticulous and thorough, making sure his design fit our style and preferences (even when we found it hard to articulate what those were)! We loved the vision that he's brought to life

Alex and Bethan