Lush City Garden, Notting Hill, London

Our work

Lush City Garden,
Notting Hill, London

“In June, many gardens are awash with bright florals, but myriad shades of foliage take centre stage in this small city haven, providing a lush backdrop for relaxed outdoor living,” House Beautiful, June 2025.

Small Garden, Big Potential

This is one of our own – a compact Notting Hill garden design that also serves as the home of the Hicks & Hart studio. Like many urban gardens in London, it’s overlooked and surrounded by the hum of city life.

It had good bones when Catherine and her family moved in: a built-in BBQ and a polished concrete terrace flowing directly from the interior. Rather than start over, we chose to retain those core features and focus on layering in character, function and sustainable design.

The challenge? Creating a lush, generous and personal space within a small city footprint. It needed to do it all: serve as a haven for family life, host guests for outdoor entertaining and offer a daily view from both the studio and the terrace above. And it needed to feel like us – full of life, joyful and rooted in green.

Small Garden - Big Layers

Three priorities shaped the design: space to entertain, a green and immersive outlook and a strong sense of identity. A long bench was added between raised beds to invite lounging, while the existing decking was stained black – elevating the small space with visual contrast and cohesion.

Planting began with Acers – ideal for the garden’s sheltered microclimate. Two mature trees now arch over the seating zone, offering dappled shade and a calm canopy. A Prunus pendula adds spring beauty. Seasonal pots are layered throughout and moved as needed – creating a journey around the space. The result is a compact city garden that feels lush, layered and lived in.

A Celebration of Green

This garden is a study in the power of green – a principle we carry from our training at Inchbald. A variety of green tones (along with borrowed views from neighbouring gardens) form a rich backdrop for a pared-back palette of colour and texture.

Clipped Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Tom Thumb’ topiary sits alongside domes of Pittosporum tobira ‘Nanum’. Ferns thrive in shaded corners; Stipa tenuissima brings light movement. Heuchera in lime and plum tones offer contrast, while Imperata cylindrica ‘Red Baron’ delivers flashes of red.

Flowering plants echo the cherry blossom theme – soft pinks and whites from Hydrangeas, Peonies, Astilbe, Tiarella and Sanguisorba add seasonal softness and joy.

This is a family garden that evolves with us. It’s a space for experimentation – where we trial planting combinations, observe seasonal changes and adapt. Above all, it’s a garden that brings daily joy – to our family, guests and the way we work.

This garden is featured in the June 2025 edition of House Beautiful under the title “A Celebration of Green.” Visit the Media section of our website to read the article.

Photography by: Bennet Smith at Marianne Majerus Garden Images and Hicks & Hart ©