The worst aspect of this garden, when I first saw it, was that visually it ‘tipped’ you off from the house.  Steps from the kitchen door led to a narrow terrace (too small to be any use) and then down again to a larger terrace which was on such a slope that you felt you were in danger of being thrown out of the back gate!

To counterbalance the effect of the slope, I created one larger terrace at the top of the garden, with raised beds at the rear of the garden to lift the height and an off centre raised bed between the two.  This is planted with mainly evergreen foliage plants – palms, phormiums and sempervivums – to give texture but also to blur the view of the rear fence from the main terrace.  Deep brick steps and copings create a simple unity within the garden and double as seating to catch the best of the sun. 

Bamboos and grasses will soften the effect of the new fence over time, but there’s plenty of space for some colour too; long flowering penstemons, geraniums and yellow geum make a great combination with the bronze carex.