Garden design made easy - Passageways and alleyways

Matt James Garden designer

In part two of his Garden design made easy series Real Homes' garden expert Matt James explains how you can transform the smallest of spaces into plant- and colour-filled outside areas. Follow his advice for ideas and inspiration.

Often the missing link between the house and garden, side alleys can successfully connect both spaces, as well as being beautiful plant-friendly spaces in their own right. These areas are often neglected and cluttered with dustbins – we barely notice them in our haste to get to the back garden. But, just because a side alley is a route from the front to the back, why shouldn’t it be a pleasant place to walk through? If your only outdoor space is tiny and narrow, then this area becomes even more important.

ABOVE (left-right): Use limestone paving like this Bradstone Old Town Paving Circle Weathered Limestone Circle kit. It contains 36 pieces, measures (dia.)280cm and costs £349, from B&Q; In narrow side alleys you can play with perspective to make them seem bigger. Here, the angle of the decking and paving pull the eye across the space (rather than allowing it to merely focus on the end), giving the illusion of width.

Consider the practicalities
Passageways do have their limitations, with some feeling claustrophobic and gloomy, as they get little sun from midday to mid-afternoon, if at all. If your side alley is narrower than four or five feet, consider its function – you’ll have to keep planting and containers to a minimum, otherwise you’ll end up with an obstacle course. In very tight areas you could have a couple of narrow, heavy-wire window boxes planted with seasonal bedding and trailing ivy to break up the space, but anything that’s wider high up may feel overwhelming.

Concentrate on improving the two main surfaces: the boundary and ground covering. Firstly, fencing – avoid painting it. Although it’s an obvious solution for brightening up a dark area, the colour will become a dominating feature, over-emphasising the limited size of the space. It’s much better to let it weather naturally. A shade-tolerant free-climber such as Hydrangea petiolaris or Clematis ‘Nelly Moser’ will help cover it and, in time, the fence will fade into the background. If you want to tidy up your fence you could use a natural (not an orange-toned), non-toxic woodstain.

It’s possible to decorate your boundary with painted trelliswork panels that usually look good with or without plants (visit gardentrellis.co.uk for ideas). If wooden trellis is not to your liking, cover the wall or fence with a wirework screen.

ABOVE (left-right): Frame your plants along a wall with this Living Art Frame, £47.99.. The black frame measures (H)42x(W)30cm and includes drainage and mounting holes; Made with powder coated zinc plated sheet metal, this Comb Trellis, £36, by Arik Levy, will add pattern and texture. Both from Garden Beet.

Choose a ground surface
Consider creating a seamless connection by using the same ground surface material to unite different areas. For L-shaped side passageways and alleys linked to a larger space, use the same material as it will make both spaces feel twice the size. Do bear in mind, though, that if this area is damp and dark, it wouldn’t be a good idea to have decking or smooth tiles as it would be a slippery hazard. For a small garden and alleyway, unity is key and these should be linked together by hard landscaping or planting so that they feel seamless.

Gravel is a useful and inexpensive ground surface for side alleys and passageways, but consider how much you use the space – gravel isn’t particularly child-friendly, nor is it easy to pull heavy wheelie bins over it.

In very dark alleys a lighter-coloured surface is preferable as it will make a gloomy space feel much less oppressive. Light grey granite setts, beige sandstone or light limestone are perfect. Using natural materials like this en masse can be expensive, however, so an alternative option is to cover the entire area with large stepping-stone circles with gravel infill.

If re-laying a large area of existing paving is too big a project, you can make your space feel brighter by simply cleaning off any algae and dirt with a pressure washer (available from DIY stores), or you can hire one (a mini pressure washer from hss.com costs around £31 for the weekend). Do take care, though, not to blow out any pointing while you’re using it.

In narrow spaces, pattern and texture is an all-important element. Bricks laid in a herringbone pattern, diamond patterns or modular paving laid at 45 degrees to adjacent fences or walls create lots of interest and they encourage movement, directing your eye across the space rather than simply tunnelling it towards the end. Fan shapes using granite setts or even treated wooden planks laid across the path have the same effect, making the space feel much larger than it actually is.

Create a planting scheme
As most side alleys and passageways are dark, it is essential to have shade-tolerant plants. Soil quality is usually poor too, plus there are concrete footings from surrounding walls to consider. Unless you have the space, it’s best to grow plants in containers.

In a limited space, make the most of your containers and plantings. Choose unusual shapes with different heights and group them to combine different textures and plantings. Plants like Deschampsia flexuosa (crinkled hairgrass), Dryopteris erythrosora (buckler fern), Athyrium felix-femina (lady fern), Blechnum spicant (hard fern), mint, brunneras, heucheras, hostas, European wild ginger, Helleborus niger (Christmas rose), box and shrubby honeysuckle would work well here. Most of these plants have glossy leaves, which will reflect a little light back into the space.

Terracotta pots suit most styles of garden. If your containers look too new, you can age them artificially by painting on live yogurt to encourage algae – in a few weeks the pots will look like they’ve been there for years. Mix them with a few oak barrels or copper-coloured tubs for variety.

Access to the garden has to be the priority – you always need a wider path than you imagine, so think fewer plant containers rather than more (you can of course utilise every windowsill).

ABOVE (left-right): Side alleys are usually shaded places, so choose plants accordingly. You can create light in the space with paint, glossy foliage or reflective materials like this stainless steel wall sculpture; To link it to the main garden, a built-in bar has been added to this wide side alley to make the most of the space. A lid was built into the top of the bar so that it doubles up as clever storage.

Keep it clutter-free
Camouflaging drains, soil pipes and cables in side passageways can be tricky. Instead of simply painting them, erect some trellis against your house, boxing in the pipes as you go and cover with a maintenance-free climber. All-year-round ivy is a worthwhile cliché here, or even Parthenocissus tricuspidata ‘Vetchii’ (Boston ivy).

While ivy is perfect for covering large expanses of wall, make sure you position it carefully – unchecked ivy can grow to a height of 18 metres or more. You should also ensure that your brickwork or render is in good condition so the roots don’t penetrate and cause any damage.

Vigorous golden hops will also cover any eyesore as long as it has something to cling to – but it dies back in autumn and the old growth needs to be cut out.

Bins often get placed down a side alley so that they are near to the house within easy reach of the road, but they are the blight of any garden design. One solution is to build a storage cupboard around them made from reclaimed floorboards, which you’ve treated with an environmentally-friendly preservative. Or, you can buy bin tidies or screens to conceal your wheelie bins – the three-sided Rowlinson Lean to Bin Store, (H)125(W)69x(D)76cm, costs £89 from greenfingers.com.

WORDS MATT JAMES
All prices and stockists correct at time of publishing
Featured in the October 2011 issue of Real Homes