Garden Ideas for Long Narrow Gardens

Long, slender backyards are a familiar sight in London and Kent – and they present both a challenge and an opportunity. At Oliver Burgess Garden Design (based in Beckenham, Kent), we specialise in long and narrow garden design, helping homeowners transform tight strips into beautiful, functional outdoor rooms. Drawing on Oliver’s London College of Garden Design training (distinction) and his background in ecology, we aim to create “joyful, biodiverse gardens” with “sustainable, wildlife-friendly planting” tailored to each client. As Oliver notes, even a narrow garden can feel “spacious and full of life” when every inch is planned carefully.

In a compact London terrace or a Kent town garden, it’s easy to feel hemmed in. Without the right approach, a long plot can seem “more like a corridor than a garden”. Dark corners, overlooked boundaries, or a single endless lawn can accentuate the narrowness. The key is to break up the space and draw the eye around – a strategy we use on every project. Our portfolio of projects shows how proper design can make a slim plot feel generous: “even a narrow side return… can be just as beautiful and functional as any large garden,” we believe.

Plan Multi-Functional Zones

A great long-garden design creates distinct outdoor “rooms” along the length. For example, a garden might start with a paved terrace for dining, lead to a lawn lounge area, and end in a seating nook or vegetable patch. In our Thames Ditton family garden, the brief was “to create a garden with distinct zones for entertaining, relaxing, and family activities”. This project features a sun terrace by the house, a central lawn for play, and at the far end a modern garden office and play corner (complete with trampoline and veggie beds). Each zone has its own purpose without feeling disconnected.

• Dining and Entertaining: Often a paved or deck area close to the house. A built-in bench or outdoor kitchen can define this space.

• Lounging/Relaxing Area: A cosy seating spot partway along the garden. We sometimes include pergolas or arches to mark this transition.

• Play/Activity Zone: A lawn or soft turf for children and pets, ideally towards the middle or end. It can double as open space for games.

• Garden Room or Studio: At the far end, a shed, summerhouse or office (as in the Thames Ditton garden design) provides sheltered seating or workspace. This may include storage for tools or bikes.

• Planting & Utility Corners: Path edges and borders can be used for planting borders or practical features (bin storage, compost) that are neatly screened.

By dividing the garden this way, each area feels purposeful. As one design guide advises, avoid lining the edges with a single straight path and lawn down the middle – that only accentuates the long shape. Instead, divide a long garden up into ‘rooms’, using subtle screening (a low hedge, trellis or pergola) to separate zones without closing them off. Our Notting Hill garden design project, for instance, introduced a cedar pergola, built-in seating and layered planting to create privacy and divide space in a compact yard.

Playing with Perspective and Sight-Lines

To make a narrow garden feel wider, we employ visual tricks. One effective technique is a meandering path or deck orientation. For example, the Evening Standard’s garden expert shows how “a winding path of stepping stones and staggered, softly textured planting make this narrow… garden feel wider, drawing the eye from side to side”. We often use stepping-stone paths (even paired with gravel infill) to break up the view and guide visitors through the garden (in one London garden design project a simple stepping-stone path was used to steer the eye while keeping plantings the focus).

• Diagonal Patterns: Laying decking or paving boards at a diagonal or herringbone angle can trick the eye into perceiving more width. As our small garden design tips note, “lay decking boards diagonally or lengthwise to draw the eye across the space – this trick makes the area appear larger”.

• Focal Point at the Far End: Placing a focal feature (like a water sculpture, lantern or mirror) at the garden’s end draws the gaze outward. In our Dulwich garden design we added a sculptural water feature to “anchor the space” – it reflects light and sound, attracting wildlife and giving the eye somewhere to rest.

• Varying Levels: Introduce slight level changes (steps, raised planters or a sunken patio) to add depth and interest. A raised deck by the house or a step-up halfway can break the long line and create natural zones. (For example, a former Hampton Court garden design with only steep steps and a tiny patio was transformed with terracing and planting to give each level purpose.)

• Planting Edges: Stagger or curve beds along the sides instead of long straight borders. Irregular beds softened the edges and made the space feel airier.

In general, avoid strong continuous lines that lead straight to the far boundary. For instance, a uniform horizontal decking or a slatted fence can inadvertently “zoom” the eye along the length and emphasise the narrowness. Instead, break sight-lines with curves, screens or changes in material. Covering boundaries with climbers or evergreen plants helps – for example covering all sides with evergreen star jasmine, ivy and other climbers so you can’t see them could make the space feel mysterious and larger. We often do the same with trellis panels or living walls to blur the far edges.

Privacy and Screening

Privacy is a common concern in long gardens, especially in close-knit city areas. We tackle this with vertical planting and structures. Tall evergreen shrubs or bamboo can shield side fences without taking too much horizontal space. Climbing plants on trellis or pergolas add greenery and draw the eye upward – ivy, jasmine or clematis create year-round cover. In our Notting Hill garden design, for example, a cedar pergola at the front provided immediate screening above the boundary, while dense planting behind it creates a cocooning feel.

Other tricks include lattice screens or low walls. A simple timber sleeper wall, for instance, can be erected along a boundary to screen a neighbour’s window; we use this tactic to add privacy “without blocking the view completely”. Such semi-open barriers let light and air through the top but keep the garden private. Even a row of tall planters or a thin raised bed along a fence can serve the same purpose.

In short, the goal is to block sight-lines at eye level but still allow sky and greenery above. This way the garden feels enclosed yet not claustrophobic. If you can’t see the hard edge of the fence or wall, the space will feel bigger. By screening with plants, pergolas or partial screens, we make long gardens feel more intimate and secure.

Planting Schemes for Impact

In a linear garden, planting brings everything to life. We design rich, layered borders that run the length of the garden. A mix of heights – taller shrubs and small trees near the back, medium perennials in the middle, and low groundcovers or bulbs at the front – ensures the eye is led in and the boundaries are softened. For example, our Thames Ditton garden design project used “a mix of evergreen shrubs, ornamental grasses and colourful perennials” to give structure and movement. The result is year-round interest: evergreens provide winter shape, spring bulbs and summer flowers add seasonal colour, and late grasses and berries carry on into autumn.

We also include vertical elements to add dimension. Climbing plants on fences (ivy, jasmine, honeysuckle) cover boring walls with foliage and flowers, making narrow gardens feel lush. Vertical planters or trellises can carry vines or floral displays up the wall, preserving every bit of ground space. In London courtyards, living walls and hanging planters are a popular way to turn any upright surface into a verdant oasis.

Biodiversity is a priority too. Our designs aim for a “wildlife-friendly layout”: we include native wildflower patches, pollinator-friendly perennials (like lavender, salvia, geraniums) and fruiting shrubs. The Dulwich garden illustrates this approach – layered planting and a water feature were chosen to support birds, bees and pollinators. As Oliver often says, we look to create gardens that bring nature into the city. Integrating wildflower meadows or bird boxes can help turn a skinny slice of land into a buzzing habitat.

Seasonal highlights should be built in too. Plan for spring bulbs (bluebells, crocus), summer blooming shrubs (rhododendron, pittosporum), autumn leaf color, and structural evergreens (buxus, yew) for winter interest. A narrow garden can actually have more continuous interest because you see its entire length at once – we take advantage of that by ensuring something is always in bloom or bold. In practice, we draw up a detailed planting plan so that at least one area of the garden is spectacular in each season.

Hardscaping and Materials

Alongside planting, the right hardscape brings cohesion. Materials like decking, paving and gravel should be chosen to complement the garden’s proportions. Light-coloured paving, for instance, reflects daylight and can open up a cramped space. In one renovation we used pale sandstone slabs in a random pattern to break the long axis, helping the area feel brighter.

Raised beds and built-in benches serve multiple roles: they function as boundaries between zones and provide seating or planter space. For example, a stone or sleeper bench half-sunken into the lawn becomes informal seating. A pergola or arch (even a slim one) adds height – covered in roses or vines, it becomes a dreamy focal point and literally suggests another room beyond. In a slender garden, even a vertical structure like an arch or mirror can trick the eye.

Water features or art can also be part of the hardscape. We saw in Dulwich that a “sculptural water feature forms a focal point”. Similarly, placing a sculpture or pot fountain at the far end makes you focus on the back wall instead of its narrowness. Lighting is the final touch: low-voltage uplights on feature plants or bollard lights along a path elongate the garden at night. In our Thames Ditton garden design we explicitly aimed for “lighting to enhance the space in the evenings”, so we integrated warm path lighting, wall washers and spotlights on specimen plants. This not only makes the garden usable after dark but also draws the eye down the length, highlighting the design at night.

Common Challenges and Solutions

Light and shade: Many narrow gardens get shade from tall buildings or fences. We counter this by using reflective surfaces (light decks, pale stone) and by placing shade-tolerant plants in the darkest corners. Tall grasses, hostas or ferns work well in low light. If privacy fencing causes gloom, consider translucent panels or planting silver-leafed species (which brighten spaces).

Wind: A long garden can channel wind. Staggered planting and screens help break drafts. We often include windbreak shrubs (like pleached trees or hornbeam) without closing the space.

Access and Layout: Make sure the main walkway is clear. For example, avoid dead-end paths. Instead of a single straight path to the back, design a winding route or alternating stepping stones to create interest. Even a subtle curve makes the journey through the garden feel longer and more intriguing.

Maintenance: Narrow beds can be hard to reach. We recommend built-in benches or courtyards at intervals for resting and accessing plants. Also, install taps at multiple points to avoid dragging hoses the entire length.

Budget: Breaking a long garden into parts can help phase works over time. You might build the main patio and dining area first, then add planting or secondary features later. Our garden design process can outline what must be done first (structural hardscaping) and what can follow (planting, lighting).

Even with these challenges, the pay-off is huge: a successful slim garden blends usability with serenity. Every element – from a pergola overhead to a mossy trough along the path – works together to make the space feel larger and more welcoming.

Working with Oliver Burgess Garden Design

Oliver Burgess offers a full garden design service for homeowners in London, Kent and the South East. We begin with a free consultation to understand your ideas and site (and we cover all of London and Kent). From there, we create concept plans (often in 3D) that show the proposed layout, materials and planting. You receive a detailed design pack – including layout drawings, planting lists and mood boards – so that landscapers can bring the vision to life. In short, we handle everything from initial ideas to finished garden (though we don’t physically build, we can manage contractors for you).

Our website’s Projects section illustrates the above ideas in practice. You’ll find detailed case studies of narrow-garden transformations (such as the Notting Hill courtyard, the Dulwich patio and the Thames Ditton garden mentioned above). Each story shows how we tackled layout, planting and features in a specific context. You can also read about our process and services – for example, how we design outdoor kitchens, offices or swimming pools as part of a comprehensive plan.

Throughout, our aim is to make the most of every metre. As our small garden design manifesto puts it, “even a narrow side return… can be just as beautiful and functional as any large garden”. With creative planning – zoning the space, clever sight-line tricks, rich planting and smart hardscaping – a long, narrow garden can become an inviting, multi-functional outdoor retreat. By blending aesthetic flair with practical solutions, we help London and Kent families enjoy their green space to the fullest.

Key tips recap: Divide the garden into purposeful zones and define each with subtle screens or level changes. Use diagonal decking or winding paths to widen the perspective. Add a focal point (furniture, water feature or tree) at the end to draw the eye. Use vertical planting (trellis, climbers, tall shrubs) to soften walls and screen views. Layer plants for year-round interest. And don’t forget lighting – planned illumination enhances the space in the evenings. With these strategies, even the slimmest London or Kent garden can feel spacious, welcoming and full of life.

Sources: Expert design guides and Oliver Burgess Garden Design case studies have been used to inform these tips, along with the designer’s own project descriptions for London and Kent garden designs. These insights reflect best practices in contemporary narrow-garden design as implemented by Oliver Burgess Garden Design.