Georgian Terraced House in London
The creation of this terrace garden incorporated structural changes to the rear of this Georgian house. To make it more connected with and easily accessed from the interior, we collaborated with Locksley Architects to design steps leading up from the kitchen below. Skylights for the kitchen were positioned to allow room for plants and an outdoor eating area.
The terrace previously had slippery decking on varying levels. Laying non-slip porcelain tiles across a single level transformed the access and expanded the feel of the space available. The tiles were laid on 'pods' with clear space around and underneath each tile for surface water to run off. Since pots and planters had to be used, this approach prevents soil stains from smearing across the terrace when pots are watered. It also allowed for a network of pipes to be laid underneath that are connected to an automated watering system. The terrace gets full sun, so drip feeds to each pot mean plants thrive over the hot summer months.
Rather than using fixed planters, large pots were chosen to provide the option for changing the layout of the planting in future years.
The unique elevated and south-facing position of this terrace minimises frost impact and this allowed us to select more exotic trees and shrubs such as the tea tree (Leptospermum scoparium), mimosa (Acacia dealbata) and a lemon tree (Citrus x limon). The rendered walls were painted in 'London Stone' to reduce glare from bright sun and to soften the effect for the planting.
