17/09/2026
Small gardens are often where the best ideas get tested.
This one in Bath is built around a very simple idea: A place to be and a way to get there.
Cast concrete slabs create a route through dense, layered planting to a small garden room at the back — somewhere to sit, cook, hide away and be surrounded by nature.
But almost every part of the garden was also an opportunity to question how we normally build.
The large cast elements and below-ground structures were made using a cement-free concrete. Oak, larch and reclaimed barn timber were chosen to weather and improve with age.
And the waste didn't disappear into a skip.
Excavated concrete and brick were crushed and reused as the growing medium on the roof. Leftover sand became home for solitary bees. Logs became habitat. The roof became another piece of garden.
This garden backed onto a woodland. We embraced the shade and created a cultivated woodland floor, packed it full of plants and let the wildflowers in.
For small gardens keep it simple. Let plants do the rest.
Want a better idea for your garden? Link in bio.
