A picture story of our little formal courtyard from start to finish here in Stockcross near Newbury in Berkshire.
We started with a very weedy mess! The beds were full of ground elder & we had little privacy from the house next door,
We dug over & removed all we could of the weeds & planted a knot garden with pleached hornbeam trees for privacy. By using a membrane & lots of gravel we have had no return of the menace that is ground elder which has been great. It been several years now so we're definitely rid of it - phew!
We added bricks & smartened the old ones up then when we added our glass box & oak frame extension we decided it needed to look more contemporary so we replaced them with large stone flags. As we've used these inside too it adds a sense of space & light. Finally the water feature & lights make this lovely little courtyard work beautifully at night too.