The first visit to this interesting courtyard on the side of a hill involved removal of alkanet, dandelions and other weeds, and a prune and tidy to assess the space and aspect.

From there I created a plan based on the border gaps and conditions, dug in multipurpose compost, repaired a retaining wall and rebuilt a corner rockery and ornamental pebble area.

This first section shows the main right hand curved border which is sunny with dry crumbly soil. I decided to add a Phormium Jester to echo and draw the eyes from the large established specimen further back and left. Round this I used hardy Mediterranean perennials including Gaura, Aquilegia, Rodgersia, Potentilla and Sanguisorba, and long flowering shrubs such as Salvia HotLips and a purple Hebe.