Our brief for this compact townhouse garden in the heart of York city centre was that the garden must be low maintenance but utterly enjoyable for the couple who had embarked on a major renovation of this character home. The garden now has subtle lighting to facilitate dining in the garden of a summers evening along with culinary plants for the regular use in home cooking.

We used clay pavers stepped through the garden to create an intimate and cosy feel at ground level with a mix of evergreen shrubs to ensure all year colour and seasonal splashes of colour using pale cream and green tulips and native geraniums ensuring the garden had a feel of genteel elegance. For scent and culinary use we planted rosemary, mint and thyme

For the front garden we created a subtle element of privacy and interest to the bay windows facing the street. We planted Miscanthus that will sway in the breeze and offer a visual break from on lookers. The Miscanthus also have the advantage of offering seasonal highlights as they mellow during the autumn and winter.