A tropical-inspired garden in south London that feels like an escape from the city

Up the steps and into the main garden, a path winds through dense planting to the far end, where a delightful secret garden is revealed through an arched entrance. ‘The garden was previously very much something that you saw in one glance,’ says Charles. ‘I wanted a more sinuous route through it, so that different elements are revealed as you walk the length of it.’

The far end had been occupied by an enormous shed which, when demolished, left a space big enough for a new Gabriel Ash greenhouse and a small terrace. Rather than using large pavers here, Charles chose small Cambridge Gault clay bricks. ‘They’re close in colour to the Darley stone to give visual unity, but feel in proportion to the more compact areas,’ he notes. Catching the evening sun, this secret garden is surrounded by an abundant Rosa banksiae ‘Lutea’ clambering up the trellis, as well as other evergreen shrubs such as Clerodendron trichotomum and Escallonia ‘Apple Blossom’, to give a feeling of enclosure.

In the final third of the garden, there is room for a seating area that catches the evening light and a cedar greenhouse by Gabriel Ash.

Alister Thorpe

The main section of this garden in south London is designed around a series of large beds with a mainly evergreen planting, so that it looks captivating all year round. ‘When I was first commissioned, I made an inventory of all the existing plants, including quite a serious collection of acers as well as some beautiful old camellias and rambling roses,’ says Charles. ‘I then worked them into the new design.’ Tactile and full of texture, the resulting planting scheme shows how much can be achieved with foliage alone. A generous smoke bush, Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’, creates the separating screen between the middle and end sections, with another clipped cotinus echoing it further down the garden. The filigree foliage of acers contrasts with the glossy evergreen leaves of the camellias, and large-leaved Bergenia ‘Bressingham White’ thrives underneath an oak-leaved hydrangea. A pared-back palette of pale yellow- and white-flowered plants is set against this multi-layered backdrop, including tall white Japanese anemones and yellow Rosa ‘Golden Showers’, which climbs over the archway.

‘I hope what I’ve done is to turn it into what appears to be a much bigger garden,’ explains Charles. Where there was just a mown space and a route from A to B, now there are densely planted areas with a meandering path that encourages you to stop, to observe and to use all your senses. The owners are proud to open their beautiful garden for the NGS, too, but more importantly they now have a garden that has become their sanctuary – an immersive, sensory space that provides the perfect antidote to the busy city beyond.

Charles Rutherfoord: charlesrutherfoord.net