A small walled garden seen through open sliding glass doors, with a timber deck, a weathering steel raised bed with a water spout, a stone wall, an acer, ferns and seating on an upper terrace.

Japanese-Inspired Tranquil Courtyard Garden

Bristol

A small walled courtyard behind a house in Clifton, Bristol, rebuilt in an eight week job finished in autumn 2019 by Artisan Landscapes. The owner asked for a lush, immersive space in the Japanese spirit; her fixed requests were two trees, a weathering steel water feature and keeping some of the existing plants.

The original granite tiles were relaid on the upper level and the steps, the lower level became timber decking running nearly level with the floor inside, the old retaining walls were clad in charred timber, and the 200 kilogram steel water feature pours from one tank into the other. Access was through the house only, so the trees, the soil and the water feature all came in over the 3.5 metre garden walls.

Artisan Landscapes

Artisan Landscapes is a garden design and build practice founded in 2013 in Bristol, with its design studio in Westbury on Trym, working across Bristol, Bath and the Cotswolds.

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Photography @artisanlandscapes. Seen via @gardenplanning.

The picture comes from this post on Instagram.

Researched August 2026. I credit each piece as carefully as I can; if you know more about this one, message me on Instagram.