This tiny courtyard garden in Suffolk was designed to be low-maintenance to suit its use as a short term holiday let. Located to the rear of a converted cart shed, the garden needed to be private and screened from the main cottage but to connect with the larger landscape.

The Australian owner was keen to include plants that remind her of her home in Sydney, and as the garden was enclosed, and planting could be largely confined to raised beds, the correct growing conditions were easy to achieve. Exotic, broad leaved foliage planting including tree ferns, phormiums, canna lilies, grasses and date palms were incorporated to create a mini oasis in East Anglia. 

The central part of the garden was left mostly open and covered with gravel to match the flint facade of the cart shed. A staggered, oak sleeper path leads from the French doors and out into the garden which is planted with a few compact, low-growing plants chosen for their texture and habit. 

Raised, oak sleeper beds and staggered vertical battens provide privacy from the main house while offering glimpses of the surrounding view. A small inbuilt bench made from sleeper offcuts makes a shady place to sit on a hot afternoon.

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