A Clapham garden where every inch is filled with lush planting
Having moved into his house in Clapham in south-west London in 1985, Christopher has constantly altered the configuration and planting of his garden over the nearly 40 years he has been there, to suit his current tastes and needs, and to act as an experimentation ground for his work as a garden designer. ‘The garden’s been in constant flux ever since I arrived,’ he says. ‘My thoughts are always evolving and the garden reflects that.’
A typical long, narrow London plot, it is almost entirely filled with plants, a lush oasis in which exotic evergreens rub shoulders with Bengal roses to create a dreamy and immersive space. The walls on either side are clothed in greenery to create privacy, and the narrow path – leading towards the garden room at the far end – is bordered by all manner of tactile plants that spill out of pots along the way.
Tucked into a leafy bower, a small black pool is overhung with the glossy heart-shaped leaves of a kiwi vine (Actinidia deliciosa). A wren nests in a pear tree next to the garden room, while bees buzz around anemones and late-flowering salvias. Humans play second fiddle to nature in this garden.
A New Zealander by birth, Christopher moved to Britain in the 1970s. His background was in fine art and industrial design but he had always had a passion for English gardens: it was a serendipitous meeting with American garden designer and writer Lanning Roper that introduced him to the world of garden design. Initially working alongside Lanning, Christopher soon had his own list of clients and found himself travelling widely for his work.
His own garden has always been a haven to return to, as well as a place to develop his design ideas. ‘I use it as somewhere to try out new plants that I think might work in a client’s garden,’ he explains. ‘Most of them are grown in pots, so that I can move them around easily.’ Some planters are completely hidden by the plants; others are artfully placed on pillars, tables and ledges to create a mixture of different heights. ‘You can’t just have pots at ground level: plants need to reach for the light,’ observes Christopher. ‘This is a north-east-facing garden, so you have to harness the light and make the most of it.’
When he first laid out the garden, Christopher designed it with a T-shaped lawn. ‘I realised I had made a mistake,’ he says. ‘It was completely impractical in winter because it wasn’t getting any light, so it had to go.’ The lawn was replaced by an off-centre path consisting of rough York stone, granite setts and cobbles. The garden room has also had various iterations. ‘It was in totally the wrong place to start with,’ explains Christopher. ‘I was using the sunniest spot – right at the back – for storage, yet this was the best place to sit.’ The new garden room, with wide glass doors opening out into a small and secluded seating area, now occupies this prime spot and is angled towards the setting winter sun.
‘Nothing is parallel or symmetrical in this garden,’ Christopher says. ‘Years ago, I started to lay things out with symmetry, but I now actually prefer to break up the symmetry, using different
structural elements to bounce through the garden and lead the eye. I think it makes a small space seem bigger. You can get lost in this garden – you can’t quite see exactly where the boundaries are.’
In terms of flowering time, the garden is designed to peak late, towards the end of summer and into autumn. ‘There is always so much going on in the garden world in spring and early summer,’
Christopher explains. ‘I prefer a garden that comes into its own between July and November, when people have more time on their hands to appreciate it.’
Late-flowering salvias, including deep purple ‘Amistad’, blue ‘Mystic Spires’ and brick-red Salvia confertiflora, are woven in among exotic evergreens such as tetrapanax, while statement pots of eucomis, agave and arthropodium create focal points up and down the garden. But, true to the variable nature of this space, these plants may be moved on next year to make space for new specimens, the pots juggled around to create the ever-changing vista that Christopher prefers outside his back door.
Alister Thorpe1/4Late flowering Salvia ‘Amistad’ provides a rich backdrop for the lush foliage of Arthropodium cirratum. Throughout the garden, pots are displayed on tables or pillars to raise them up to eye level.
Alister Thorpe2/4Salvia confertiflora.
Alister Thorpe3/4Pineapple lily Eucomis pole-evansii
Alister Thorpe4/4Dahlias ‘Honka Red’, ‘Honka Fragile’ and ‘Café au Lait’ line the steps leading from the back door to the garden.
