Page 122 - homes & gardens

H&G DEsiGn DREAM GARDEN

EastErn

promisE

Wrapped in luxuriant foliage, this tranquil
garden has a Japanese mood that is far
removed from the suburban streets beyond

dESigNEr prOfiLE Inspired by work experience on a
kibbutz during his teenage years, Spencer Viner studied
landscape architecture at Leeds Metropolitan University.
In 2001, he set up his own design and planting consultation
business, North Eleven, which creates contemporary
schemes in London, the South East and overseas.

CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE gArdEN? This is my own garden in north
London. It is attached to an attractive Edwardian house but, as the
surrounding suburban area is pretty uninspiring, I decided to create an
enclosed space that generated its own views, while also blocking out the
noise from the streets. The design is infuenced by Japanese gardens
and, as it’s my garden, I had the luxury of time, which allowed me to
carefully assess how the sun moved across the space and where best
to place the plants and seating areas.

WHY did YOU dividE Up THE SpACE? Although the garden is tiny,
measuring just twenty-one square feet, I wanted to create several zones
that each had a different atmosphere. I used hard landscaping to convey
the idea of rooms, with a paved dining area beneath a large pergola that
leads to a decked section edged by planting and a wooden bench; the
legs of the pergola act as a doorway from one zone to another. The
proportions are based on the size of one of the paving stones, so each
section of the garden is a multiple of that paver. This creates the visual
harmony that’s so important in small garden designs.

HOW did YOU ACHiEvE THE SENSE Of TrANqUiLLiTY? The perimeter
screens, made from marine plywood painted in a soft grey, together
with the pleached trees above, shield the garden, providing a sense of
privacy. I’ve also created a woodland effect with small trees, shrubs and
grasses planted in generous borders. The dappled light that flters through
the willow in the centre of the deck (the roots of which are in a large
plastic tub to restrict its size) also contributes to the garden’s magic.

WHAT JApANESE EffECTS did YOU iNCLUdE? In Japanese gardens
the dominant shade is green with a burst of colour here and there, corner. Mixing furniture of different styles helps to add interest, but
so I’ve used the iconic symbol of a setting sun, made from plywood, take care not to include too many eclectic pieces or colours in a small
as a point of focus and to inspire meditation. Most of the plants also space, as the overall effect can be a bit messy.
originate from Japan, and include the black-stemmed bamboo
Phyllostachys nigra, the bright-green grass Hakonechloa and a wisteria, WHiCH pLANTS dO YOU rECOmmENd fOr TiNY gArdENS? When
which is growing up one of the legs of the pergola. Water, another designing a small space, use plants that direct the eye towards the sky
important element in Japanese gardens, features in the form of a small and focus on strong leaf shapes, which will provide a longer season of
pool planted with a miniature water lily. The pool is set into an industrial interest than fowers. I have planted climbers up the pergola, such as intervieW Zia allaway PhotograPh MariaNNe MajeruS
concrete drainage ring lined with plastic and topped with slate tiles. wisteria, which has beautiful leaves and long tresses of scented purple
fowers in May; a Trachelospermum jasminoides (star jasmine), which is
HOW did YOU CHOOSE THE fUrNiTUrE? The table was given to me evergreen with tiny, white, highly scented summer fowers; and some
by a client; it’s an old textile industry piece and I added the glass top late-fowering clematis. I have also used the small tree Cornus kousa var.
to give it a modern spin. I picked up the green chairs at a fea market chinensis, which makes a good focal point in spring, when it is covered
in Antwerp and designed the cedar wood bench myself to ft into the with large white fowers, and in autumn, when its leaves turn fery red. l

122 | H&G | September 2015

0123456789
BLACK YELLOW MAGENTA CYAN