Welcome to the Urban Garden...

However small your patch, whether city balcony or small urban garden, there are plants which will love it - and no excuses for leaving it unattended and neglected. There is no need to live with tired grass and a few straggly shrubs - you can transform this space into a small themed oasis; a Mediterranean terrace, formal herb garden, exotic jungle, bring the country into the town with herbaceous borders or create a minimalist Japanese ‘Zen’ garden - the permutations are endless.

Start with the basics - what surface do you prefer - patio or decking, or do you have space for a lawn. Do you have small children to consider? If so you might like to consider ‘turfing’ an area for them to play on with hard wearing artificial grass - which will not become worn down to the bare earth! Put your plants in plastic rather than stone containers so that if toddlers tumble it will not involve a trip to Casualty! Leave water features until children are old enough to play unsupervised and adequate safety features have been installed. Get gardening - in a window box if this is all the space you have - and you will be amazed at what you will be able to grow.