John Gilbert

This urban garden was designed specifically for relaxing and gently entertaining friends. The sandstone circle and the paths which approach it mean that the garden is accessible and inviting all year round. The high density of planting, however, prevents the hard surfaces dominating the main view of the space which is from a first- floor room. The planting itself is designed to provide colour and foliage interest throughout the year. The table and chairs are made of teak and there is a second, bistro-style set of metal table and chairs tucked away in the far corner.

Roof gardens add a whole new dimension to urban living and even the smallest spaces can be exploited to advantage. This London penthouse has a larger area at the front which faces south and a smaller, narrower, north-facing one at the back.

It is really important to get the choice of plants right when you are creating gardens several floors up. Tough specimens are required to withstand the wind and it is a good idea, even when automatic irrigation is installed as it is here, to select plants that don’t dry out too easily.

Here the range of plants was chosen to provide colour and interest all year round and to have relatively low maintenance needs. The planters are of painted wood and galvanised steel .

The larger terrace, above, provides a wonderful space for outdoor entertaining and relaxing in the sun. The smaller, shadier, area (below) is perfect for a quiet breakfast or morning coffee - and, see the planters in the foreground, for growing salads and vegetables!

The brief for this garden was to create an oasis in the city with an eastern flavour and a dedicated space for meditation. I based the wooden pavilion on traditional Balinese ‘bales’ and used ‘exotics’ such as bamboo, banana and palms as well as more traditional planting.

In this town garden the emphasis was on clean, simple lines with strong, mixed planting around the boundaries. A low-maintenance garden which will look good all year round.

This was a garden that had lost its way and seemed much smaller than it actually was. The pronounced slope away from the house made it possible to divide the garden into discrete areas at descending levels, thus increasing the sense of space and making it feel much more interesting.

The ‘before’ and ‘after’ pictures here show what a transformation good design and high quality landscaping work can achieve. This garden is, in fact, a work in progress: the tree and shrub planting has been done and the perennials will be put in next spring.