Outdoor kitchen in Lewisham, London

This lovely garden in Lewisham was finished to such a high standard by Catherine of Catherine Clancy Garden Designs that it featured in The Times. It’s a textbook example of the what’s possible with a bit of imagination when transforming a very ordinary-looking, small London garden. What was the sort of garden that only gets visited to undertake maintenance became a glorious extension of the living space, complete with a hot tub, outdoor kitchen and pergola, shed, small vegetable patch, and, of course, plants – many plants! The existing mature photinia ‘Red Robin’ were retained, and small Japanese maples planted for wonderful autumn colour. Continuing the colourful theme, heucheras in a variety of shades offer year-round interest, and a selection of drought-tolerant Mexican and Central American plants dot the garden: vibrant cosmos, the white and pink daisy-like flowers of Mexican fleabane, and the golden star flowers of Bidens ferulifolia. The attention given to garden lighting makes the space attractive year-round, tempting you outdoors when you’d otherwise have been cooped up inside.