oak built-in bench in city garden montpellier

Bijou city garden

This compact city garden in Montpelier required some careful design. The space, although small, had plenty of potential. The garden had been fully decked. Some existing features such as brick walls and a wood clad extension were not being shown to their best.

The bamboo screening was replaced with cedar slatted fencing that gave privacy while also allowing light to filter through. All but one of the brick walls were attractive and so left unpainted, the remainder we painted a grey with blue undertones and this tied in with the black painted fence posts.

An outdoor daybed nestles in the corner of the garden offering plenty of seating for the family. The bench, constructed from oak sleepers, provides ample room to sit or recline We painted the existing cladding in Farrow & Ball Off Black. This really tied the space together.

Planting beds were carved out from the decking and planted with a mixture of evergreen shrubs and perennials for year round structure. Climbing plants will give seasonal interest with flowers in late spring and dramatic autumn foliage. A specimen palm in a large container gives height.

city garden montpelier with decking and built-in bench
Built-in bench and cedar fencing in city garden montpellier
Hardy palm in front of cedar fence
Equisetum, Scouring Rush plant
Bench and cedar fence in small garden
Painted cladding
Palm and cedar slatted fencing