A carefully controlled minimalist design has transformed this nondescript backyard into a superb modern space for relaxing and entertaining. The fencing and decking are made of solid cedar wood, as are the built-in benches. The latter have removable tops so that their inner space can be used for storage.

Concealed lighting means that the garden can be used well into the evening and an irrigation system has been installed to minimise maintenance.

The planting scheme is strong and simple, using reliable, robust plants which will largely look after themselves.

The ‘before’ picture – a sunny spot with lots of potential!

This is a well-proportioned suburban plot backing on to mature woodland. The brief was to create a family garden in a traditional style and we used the generous space to create a decent sized lawn and a large paved area in reclaimed York stone. Both side fences had to be replaced and these will very quickly be colonised by a range of climbers, including Clematis, honeysuckle, Solanum (potato vine), rose, Campsis (trumpet vine), and Trachelospermum (star jasmine).

This picture, taken only three months after planting, shows how quickly the herbaceous perennials we planted are settling in and claiming their space.

The garden is north-facing, very dry towards the far end  and very moist nearer the house. Careful  planning was necessary to make sure that all the plants would be happy in their respective places and provide a range of interest throughout the year. Robust plants requiring a minimum of maintenance were used.

Aconitum napellus, commonly known as Monkshood. A tall, upright perennial with wonderful blue flowers in early to mid-summer.

Rosa ‘Dark Lady’, a shrub rose with large, deep-red blooms. These sometimes get so big that they need supporting.

Phlomis fruticosa, or Jerusalem sage, is a sun-loving, grey-leaved evergreen shrub which is covered in these rather oddly-shaped yellow flowers in early summer.

This is the wonderful and rather strange Darmera peltata which throws up its flowers on long stems after lying dormant all through the winter. Once the flowers begin to fade huge, rhubarb-like leaves take their place, growing from nothing to full size in a matter of days.

I have had to remove several Cordyline australis this year, killed from the top by the recent hard winter. All is not necessarily lost, however, as this picture shows. This purple-leaved cultivar, although clearly dying, has started to put out new shoots from the base.

Below are two more views of the ’supershed’, followed by a ‘before’ picture of its predecssor.

This somewhat neglected garden was a ‘blank canvas’ when I had finished clearing the old and overgrown plant material as only one shrub proved worth keeping. These pictures were taken this week on the day new planting was finished – in a year’s time it will be full of growth and colour and the raw edges will have long been smoothed over.

The  brief was to create a garden that would attract birds and my design set about achieving this in a number of ways. The pond, which will be substantially planted next spring, is a key element in attracting wildlife while an informal lawn, untreated with pesticides, will also prove a food source for birds. The planting is dense and permanent and includes a high proportion of evergreen shrubs in order to provide safe gathering, roosting and nesting sites for a range of birds. This effect will increase in time as the plants mature and fill out.

The planting scheme provides flowers throughout most of the year. Flowers, of course, attract pollinating insects thus drawing birds to the garden. Many of the plants used are traditional or native, such as Crab apple, Hawthorn, Lavender, Acanthus and Rosemary and these attract a wider range of species than more exotic plantings. Many of the plants I have chosen produce seeds and berries – Clematis, Honeysuckle, Stipa, Miscanthus, Libertia and Sarcococca, for example – which will also draw the birds. I always advise clients who wish to encourage birdlife to leave their gardens slightly unkempt in the winter so that birds can feed on the seeds of the perennial plants.