Fitzwarren Gardens, Highgate

The clients were looking to give their garden a facelift, improving the views from inside the house and providing comfortable seating areas and a lawn for children’s play.

Much of the existing layout was retained. The concrete steps were re-configured and clad in quarry tiles. The concrete balustrade was extended to the upper level and the rendered blockwork was extended around the upper deck, providing a step up to the lawn. A winter flowering cherry (Prunus x subhirtella ‘Autumnalis Rosea’), planted in the lawn provides a screen from the houses beyond the far end of the garden and an attractive focal point viewed from the house in winter. Shrubs and perennials with pastel-coloured flowers dominate the planting in the tiered raised bed along the steps and around the lawn. A raised bed has also been created in the concrete wall outside the kichen window, improving an important view from the house.