Urban gardens, for those lucky enough to have them, are usually on the small side, meaning compromises must be reached on how the space is best used. Now, innovative companies are rethinking what is possible with landscaping solutions, thoughtful re-uses of outhouses, and clever tricks to hide children’s play equipment, creating urban gardens that everyone can enjoy.
Simple garden sets for urban garden TLC
At the coldest point of the year, motivation to show your garden some love can be low, but put the work in now and you'll reap the rewards later. The Stem, one of our favourite digital stops for hardy house plants, also has a range of handy tools. We love the clean simplicity of this gently curved set from Sophie Conran, with beech handles comfortably moulding to the shape of the hand, making gardening a pleasure.
thestem.co.uk
The design furniture increasing biodiversity
Vestre Habitats have collaborated with Arde and Rethink Studio on a range of design furniture which aims to increase biodiversity in outdoor urban environments. The pieces don't impede the natural cycles of processes such as the decomposition of dead wood, and create a habitat where fungi, insects, beetles and birds can thrive.
vestre.com
The space-saving play equipment for children
Children's play equipment doesn't have.to be unsightly or enormous; on the contrary, it can be both be compact and elegant. Plum Play thoughtfully design children's outdoor toys from sustainable wood for toys which will endure. Children will love this pretty easel, and parents will love the small size and handy storage for brushes and paints.
plumplay.co.uk
The sustainable plant pots for elegant patios
London-based Mexican designer Arturo Soto creates beautiful pots and pedestals for bonsai trees, using gleaming recycled wood. Bonsais can be easily removed from their walnut and ply homes, making watering them effortless. Soto's brand, Memories of green, subscribes to a zero waste policy from his woodturning studio in Deptford's Cockpit Arts.
cockpitarts.com
The portable greenhouse for the green-fingered
Garden too small for a greenhouse? Try a portable one which offers no need to compromise on design. The Bramber has been crafted by designer David Le Versha, who brings an expertise in the construction of Victorian-inspired iron objects to a beautifully formed portable greenhouse. Formed from stainless steel and aluminium, each detail is carefully considered to ensure easy usability. The glass lid can be kept open in all positions, and two handles mean the greenhouse can be rolled like a wheelbarrow depending on whether your plants require sun or shade. Water them by simply raising the tilting windows.
revised.com
Hidden trampolines to thrill children (and parents)
Most parents living with small urban gardens will know there comes a point when you must decide if you are willing to compromise precious outdoor space on unsightly trampolines. Giving the children years of joy, yes, but potentially kissing goodbye to an evening G&T in the sun – it’s a tough decision we may not have to make. Sunken Trampolines creates safe trampolines that are flush with the ground for safety purposes, but can also be hidden with a lid to match your grass – letting the space double as the perfect spot for a barbecue. ‘Both the trampoline and the lid can be made to suit the size available,’ says Sunken Trampolines’ director Angus Macwatt. ‘Putting them in the ground dramatically decreases the visual size of the trampoline. Many clients are amazed at how the large trampoline just disappears once it has been installed. Any garden can be transformed with a Sunken Trampoline no matter how small a space.’
The compact urban garden (that still has space for everyone)
Angus Thompson Design’s award-winning urban garden proves space restrictions don’t need to mean a compromise. ‘Like many town gardens, this relatively small space had to fulfil multiple roles: family garden, access to work studio, entertaining space, and place to unwind amongst beautiful, romantic planting,’ say the designers of the Oxford garden. Embracing a juxtaposition of textures – stone, glass and wood – gives the garden a wilder aesthetic that is often lost in a city space. ‘Planted to create a lush woodland-edge feel, we used cow parsley, ferns and foxgloves giving way to astrantias and late season aster divaricates in summer, creating a pleasing indulgence against the crisp, hard detailing,’ they add.
Urban gardens offering space for grown-up children
A bungalow annexe dating from the 1970s gets a sleek and useful update in this Kingston-upon-Thames garden by architect Stephen Coates. He and his wife have grown-up children, and wanted space for them to visit but without having unused and empty rooms for the rest of the time. The new annexe, doubling as a garden study, provides the ideal solution – created from prefabricated structural insulated panels and clad in Siberian Larch, it makes the most of a small garden space.