Tiny courtyard garden in Chiswick - in pictures

In a back garden in Chiswick, west London, garden designer Kate Gould has made the most of a minuscule plot, by carefully selecting the hard landscaping, limiting the colour palette and restraining herself at the nursery. Photograph: Sophia Evans/Sophia Evans

Owners Debbie and Nigel Kellow wanted their garden to be a place where they could sit, eat and entertain, and the sandstone-paved area with its narrow borders has enough room for a table that can comfortably accommodate eight. Debbie, pictured here with her dog, said: “We didn’t want it overdesigned. I wanted it to be fairly traditional, in keeping with the house.” Photograph: Sophia Evans/Sophia Evans

When the weather’s a letdown, the chairs slot underneath the table: the set (from Indian Ocean) is made from synthetic rattan, so the whole thing is waterproof and, so long as it’s covered, can even be left outside all winter. Photograph: Sophia Evans/Sophia Evans

A pair of lollipop-shaped standard bay trees (Laurus nobilis) in Versailles wooden planters provide architectural shape. Photograph: Sophia Evans/Sophia Evans

Large lead troughs from Oxford Planters lend a solid, traditional feel and give the Kellows a place to sow herbs. Photograph: Sophia Evans/Sophia Evans

The fence and planters are painted (French Gray, by Farrow & Ball) to pick up the colour of the kitchen. Adding trellis to the top of the fence gives the garden extra privacy and growing space without loss of light. Photograph: Sophia Evans/Sophia Evans

The Kellows didn’t want the garden to feel like a seamless extension of the kitchen, so there’s a small step between the two, and french windows rather than sliding doors. Photograph: Sophia Evans/Sophia Evans

Clematis 'Miss Bateman' climbing up the side wall, held in place by wire strung between vine eyes. Photograph: Sophia Evans/Sophia Evans

The double, white, scented flowers of Rosa banksiae ‘Alba Plena’ scrambling up the back fence. Read more about the garden here. Photograph: Sophia Evans/Sophia Evans