Full shade corner

East London garden

This shaded corner of an East London garden had become a dark and underused space. The brief was to transform it into a peaceful seating area—a cool, restorative place to retreat during the warmer months while making the most of an otherwise overlooked part of the garden.

The design creates the feeling of sitting within the planting, allowing foliage to soften the boundaries and blur the edges of the space. A restrained palette of natural materials establishes a sense of calm, while the layered planting strengthens the garden's connection with its woodland setting.

As the area receives no direct sunlight, the planting scheme was carefully selected to thrive in full shade. Evergreen shrubs provide year-round structure, while ferns and ornamental grasses introduce contrasting textures and gentle movement. Long-flowering geraniums bring seasonal colour, and contemporary trellising will support climbing plants that gradually screen the shed, enhancing the feeling of enclosure as the garden matures.

Though modest in scale, the transformation demonstrates how thoughtful planting design can completely change the character of a space. What was once an overlooked corner has become an inviting place to pause, proving that even the smallest areas of a garden can enrich everyday life.

(Images from day of planting)