With space at a premium in urban homes, we demand as much of our gardens as we do of our interiors: a space with year-round allure, a children's playground, a serene retreat, a vegetable patch and an outdoor room for entertaining. But can we have it all?

How do I make the best of a long, narrow plot?
Make the eye meander with a snaking path and strategically placed rose arches and low walls to break up its length and add interest.

What if my garden is on different levels?
Link the spaces to avoid a disjointed design. A water feature, running from one level to the next, is a popular ploy. Use repetition: the same materials and similarly-shaped elements of hard landscaping (paths, paving, decking) can be echoed throughout the garden; planting with similar flora can also connect split levels.

How can I gain some privacy?
Planning permission is needed to erect permanent structures to screen your space. Use trees such as beech and hornbeam that will let light in and make you feel secluded. These need not take up too much space in a confined plot – the trunks can be trimmed of branches up to head height.

Can I change my poor soil?
It can simply be dug out and replaced, or stones and bricks can be removed, and the remaining soil mixed with compost and sand for richness and better drainage.

What about maintenance?
Low maintenance gardens are best for busy urbanites; how low you go is up to you. Automated watering systems are popular. Lawns can be swapped for decking; climbers, which need pruning, for a screen of evergreen bamboo; conifers can be substituted for deciduous trees.

Can it be attractive all year round?
Yes, with carefully planned planting. Winter greenery can be supplied by box hedges and shrubs such as Japonica, tree ferns and exotica such as agave plants.

What if there is little light?
White render garden walls will make the most of any sun. Good outdoor lighting on walls and at foot level can then supplement the daylight.

Any hints on making a roof garden?
Select plants tolerant to wind (these tend to have smaller leaves). Steer clear of a muddle of small plants. Focus on fewer, larger planters, and choose trees or shrubs with sculptural silhouettes.

I want a child-friendly garden
For very small children, ponds and prickly shrubs are out, but sandpits are a must. Factor in a shed to store tricycles, buckets, etc, out of sight of adult eyes.

What can I grow to eat?
Tomatoes grow anywhere there is a sunny ledge and herbs are happy in small pots. Raised beds will take the backache out of more serious vegetable gardening to raise a range of edibles including salad leaves, asparagus and rhubarb, onions and carrots.

I need a refuge from the world
Screen off a secluded space large enough for a single lounger, add soothing scented plants such as jasmine, lavender and chamomile; the trickle of a courtyard fountain is the final touch.

I must have a place to party
Incorporate some fixed seating into your design to save wrestling with numerous deck chairs, and add shelter, if you want year-round use. Invest in “party” lighting: spots at ground level that allow guests to find their way around in the dark; dramatic uplights under trees and shrubs, and in waterfalls and ponds.

Contacts
MyLandscapes, www.mylandscapes.co.uk
Wynniatt-Husey Clark Ltd, www.whcgardendesign.com

WORDS KATRINA BURROUGHS