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What to do with 'dead' space at end of small London garden

tomrogers123tomrogers123 Posts: 5
in Garden design
Hi everyone - I am a new user so please be kind :)

I have a long but narrow London Garden with some 'dead space' at the end where the lawn transitions into soil (Very heavy, poor drainage) and then some laurel that hides the fence.

Would love to hear ideas on what I could do with this space? I've attached a few pictures. Thank you so much in advance.
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  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Welcome to the forum @tomrogers123 😊  … most of us are always kind 😇  … there’s always the odd grouchy one, but that’s life eh? 😉 

    What about having a gravelled seating area with a pergola and climbers overhead? … so a sort of semi-private area which also gives a sort of focal point when viewed from the other end of the garden. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    edited May 2023
    I’d consider making the border deeper, removing the sparser growing grass and creating a neat lawn edge, then plant a specimen shrub which will tolerate those conditions.  With your laurel as a background, a Hydrangea paniculata “limelight” would look good there when in flower from July and onwards, including throughout winter with its dried flower heads.
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    I immediately thought of a possible seating area as @Dovefromabove suggests.
    It depends on how overlooked you would be by any neighbours, but it looks an ideal spot for morning coffee or evening G&T or soft drink  :)
    A pergola would add to the sense of cosiness. 

    It could act as a "destination" area at the end of the garden.
  • Winston_The_Gravity_ManWinston_The_Gravity_Man Posts: 263
    Blimey, @pansyface !  Have you seen the size of those when they're full grown  ?  :)
    When there's always biscuits in the tin, where's the fun in biscuits ?
  • tomrogers123tomrogers123 Posts: 5
    Thank you so much everyone for the suggestions. It sounds like a nice seating area is the way to go!
  • LoxleyLoxley Posts: 5,698
    I agree with the other suggestions of some sort of sitting area at the end, it could just be a simple handsome bench; to create a sense of destination at the end of the garden. You could make a little seating pod with inward facing benches, with a firepit maybe.

    Alternatively perhaps some kind of water feature might be nice and it sounds like damp-loving plants would like it down there.
    "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour". 
  • LittlegardenLittlegarden Posts: 105
    Lovely London Garden! 
    If you go for a little round table and chair or two then you can also put a small pots with bulbs or colour that you change according the season or your mood. With a few ferns say by the fence to add to the greenery.
  • Cambridgerose12Cambridgerose12 Posts: 1,134
    I would suggest letting the laurel hedge grow just a bit taller so it hides the top of the fence behind. Then, plant up the side fences with something neat and evergreen--it looks shady so an ivy might be good providing you have the time to keep it in check, but a less vigorous alternative would be Euonymus fortunei and Pileostegia viburnioides, which are slower but more satisfying when developed. You could also try the evergreen Hydrangea seemannii. I'd suggest using the same thing on both sides to avoid a motley appearance.

    Perhaps pave the centre in a circle--being symmetrical will work best. Then get rid of all the other grass in the shady bit and plant up with clay- and shade-loving plants. Ferns, hellebores, Brunnera, Dicentra are all lovely. 

    My other thought about the centre there was immediately to suggest a columnar small tree, which would give height and produce a focal point for the end of your garden. There are some lovely columnar varieties. Check out: Sorbus 'Autumn Spire', Cercidiphyllum 'Rotfuchs', Acer palmatum 'Tsukasa Silhouette' or 'Crimson Sentry', Koelreuteria paniculata 'Fastigiata' as examples.
  • KeenOnGreenKeenOnGreen Posts: 1,831
    I wouldn't plant a tree or shrub to fill the area. It's hard in London to find a secluded space, away from the house, and which isn't overlooked. I think your spot would make a wonderful haven away from the noise and stress of the city.

    1) Cover either side fence with a climber (Ivy, Hydrangea petiolaris, etc)
    2) Get rid of the grass. The area is too shady and damp for it to thrive. Gravel or pave the middle part of the area
    3) Add some kind of seating. If you want more privacy or shade, consider adding a pergola to sit under
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    A sitting area there would be a good alternative to planting, provided your neighbours on either side don't have the same idea - you will not find other people's conversations and antics restful in such a tight space.  I'd look over the fence on both sides first before deciding!
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


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