I first met this couple when I did some design clinics at the Urban Gardens Show in London; they liked the sketches I produced for them at the show and it led to a full design of their garden.

It's probably my smallest garden to date, just 9m by 4.5m; there was also a 5' rise just outside the back door.

The clients were extending the house to create a huge kitchen with glass panels along the rear face, so the views from here were as critical as the views within the garden itself - and the last thing they wanted to be looking at was a 5' wall, or, indeed, a set of steps! So I divided the retaining wall into two sections, with a planted bed at the intermediary level, and took the steps at a curve through the wall, almost hiding them.

The rest of the plan is very simple - a lower deck that ties in with the flooring of the kitchen; and decked circular 'stepping stones' that run in a curve through the garden to a seat. These circles are set within slate chippings, which also formed an inexpensive tread for the steps. The garden is then planted mainly for foliage, with three different types of bamboos along with grasses and bananas to create a lush jungle; a fabulous sight from the house, an oasis of calm from within.

This garden is one of ten gardens featured in Design Your Garden and has been selected for the Great London Garden Trail 2010

Photos (except before shot) copyright Steve Gorton www.stevegorton.com