Northfield Garden Studio

Tag: courtyard

  • Shade plants for a north-facing courtyard

    North-facing does not mean dull. Some of the best foliage plants do better out of direct sun.

    • Hostas in pots, where slugs struggle to reach them.
    • Ferns: Dryopteris and Polystichum are evergreen and tough.
    • Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa) lights up a dark corner.
    • Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’ for big white summer flowers.
    • Epimedium and Brunnera for spring flowers under taller plants.

    Use pale gravel, light-coloured containers and a mirror or white wall to bounce light around.

  • Five layout mistakes we see in small courtyards

    After designing more than 200 small spaces, the same problems come up again and again.

    1. Everything pushed against the walls

    Lining the edges with pots leaves an empty middle and makes the space feel smaller. Bring one planted element forward to create depth.

    2. Too many small pots

    Ten small pots look cluttered and dry out daily. Three large ones look intentional.

    3. Furniture that is too big

    Measure before you buy. You need 60 cm of clearance behind a chair to pull it out.

    4. No vertical layer

    Climbers on a trellis or a single multi-stem tree add a ceiling to the room.

    5. Ignoring the view from inside

    You see your courtyard from the kitchen far more often than you sit in it. Design the view through the window first.