What fun I had transforming this Edwardian front garden! It was an interesting shape, with the front door being set back from the road, creating a wonderful, but shady courtyard. The area in front of the

bay window receives good afternoon sunshine, so this gave me scope when it came to planting the different parts of the garden.

Here is the garden as we set to work….

And here it is after a bit of The Distinctive Gardener magic!

I chose traditional bloc paving from Travis Perkins for the hard landscaping to reflect the brickwork of the house.

The rendered base of the planters was painted black to match the fascias of the house. To create a contemporary feel, I incorporated 2 metal planters along the boundary wall and chunky black window boxes for the bay window.

In the planter in the sunnier area of the garden, I chose a standard olive tree to give height and seclusion, under-planted with Sempervivum, Box, Sedum and Ajuga. The gravel mulch not only looks attractive, but also helps conserve moisture.

This metal planter, though receiving some brief sunshine in the afternoon, was essentially in full shade. I planted a deep purple Acer, under planted with Hostas for their wonderful architectural foliage, and for summer colour – hardy Geraniums and Foxgloves.

I wanted the area in front of the bay window to have a real lush, almost tropical feel. With this is mind, I planted a wonderful palm for instant impact, together with deep pink Oleander and a Polygala, whose purple flowers bloom for 10 months of the year.

I will also be planting Crocosmia Lucifer, whose bright red arching flowers will burst through the foliage to great dramatic effect.

Once established, all these plant will need little maintenance. The gravel mulch in the window boxes mirrors that in the planter opposite and contain Hebe, Phlox and Sedum.