Tufnell Park

This is Joanne’s own garden. It was designed soon after the purchase of the house, an un-modernised Victorian semi that had been bedsits. The garden was an abandoned mess, albeit one with a certain poetic charm.

The rear half of this south-east facing 120-foot garden is heavily shaded by huge London Plane trees in the grounds of the flats behind, as well as by a group of established trees within the garden itself. These were important to retain for the year-round privacy they provide.

Next to the house the garden has sun for much of the day. The design exploits this with a large planting bed running across the whole width of the garden planted with tall perennials and grasses that make a bold statement, especially viewed from inside the extension, designed by Messana O’Rorke Architects.

The challenge was then to create a natural progression from this sunlit section to the bosky shade towards the rear.

The solution was to divide the garden into three zones, separated by planting but with strategic views across all three. The key is the ‘transitional’ planting in the middle that tolerates both sun and some shade; Chasmanthium latifolium, Geranium phaeum, Iris sibirica, Hydrangea quercifolia and Gilenia trifoliata. These plants naturally progress to the woodland planting beyond.

The middle terrace is entirely screened from all buildings and is perfect for enjoying the late afternoon sun and forgetting the garden’s central London location.

The garden was featured in the BBC’s flagship programme Gardeners’ World to demonstrate principles of good design. It has also been published in numerous magazines and in New Small Garden by renowned plantsman Noel Kingsbury.

In Gardens Illustrated garden historian and critic Tim Richardson described the garden as “a modernist Valhalla”.

Completed 2013
Landscape contractor: Buffalo Landscapes