Transformed conventional long, narrow townyard into a thriving urban retreat by a skilled designer
Matt Evans' Unique Small Garden in Bath
Matt Evans, a renowned landscape designer, has created a captivating small garden in the heart of Bath. This garden is a testament to his innovative approach, showcasing a mix of familiar garden favourites and many unusual, often edible plants [1][2].
One of the garden's highlights is the tall perennial, Thalictrum 'Anne', with its purple stems, blue-green leaves, and creamy-white flowers that bloom in summer. It thrives best in part shade and grows to a size of 2.5m x 50cm [3]. Another interesting plant is the Chilean guava, an attractive evergreen shrub with nodding pink flowers and edible berries, reaching a height and spread of 1.5m x 1m [4].
The garden also features Boehmeria japonica, a non-stinging member of the nettle family with a slightly exotic feel to its serrated leaf, growing to a size of 1.2m x 1.5m [5]. Lamium orvala, a dead nettle with attractive heart-shaped, slightly hairy leaves, is ideal for groundcover in shady spots and flowers from March to July, providing early nectar for bees [6].
The garden design also includes Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Waldenbuch', a feather reed grass with a slightly more open habit than the popular cultivar 'Karl Foerster', growing in sun or part shade to a size of 1.8m x 70cm [7]. Mathiasella bupleuroides, bearing umbels of small, green flowers in summer and autumn, surrounded by pink-tinted bracts with age, grows in full sun to a size of 1.5m x 1m [8].
Zanthoxylum piperitum var. inerme, a Japanese pepper with aromatic leaves and bark, small yellow flowers in early summer giving way to red fruits, is another unique addition, growing to a size of 2.5m x 2.5m [9].
The garden design philosophy leverages uncommon species to create layered, intimate environments in small spaces, using plant form and function to maximize sensory experience and engagement within limited areas. Evans' approach suggests focusing on plants that offer structural drama or unusual foliage and creating interactive moments within the garden [1][2].
The garden's size is 4m x 30m, and the garden soil is clay but free draining. The garden design was created by Matt Evans (mattevanslandscapes.com) [10]. This small city garden, located in Bath, is a perfect example of how unique design ideas and rare plants can transform a space, making it a unique and personal green haven.
[1] Matt Evans Landscapes [2] Garden Design by Matt Evans in Bath [3] Thalictrum 'Anne' [4] Chilean Guava [5] Boehmeria japonica [6] Lamium orvala [7] Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Waldenbuch' [8] Mathiasella bupleuroides [9] Zanthoxylum piperitum var. inerme [10] Matt Evans Landscapes
- Matt Evans, a landscape designer, showcases garden design ingenuity in his small garden in Bath, combining familiar plants and uncommon, edible ones such as Thalictrum 'Anne', the Chilean guava, Boehmeria japonica, and Zanthoxylum piperitum var. inerme.
- The garden design includes a variety of plants with unique characteristics, like the dead nettle, Lamium orvala, ideal for shady spots, and Mathiasella bupleuroides, which offers small green flowers surrounded by pink-tinted bracts.
- Each plant selected for the garden contributes to a layered, intimate aesthetic within the limited space, providing structural drama, unusual foliage, and interactive moments that heighten the sensory experience.
- Matt Evans' small garden in Bath, measuring 4m x 30m, showcases how compact spaces can be transformed into personal green havens through unique design ideas and the careful curation of rare plants, creating a lifestyle haven among the city's hustle and bustle.
