12 Lauradale Road

About 12 Lauradale Road

The lower, Paradise Garden has several seating areas and a large central water feature – specially commissioned from India – as the hub of a network of curving stone paths. It is surrounded by a circular bed of fragrant herbs. An exotic orchard comprises pomegranate, peach, quince, apricot, loquat, prickly pear, fig and black mulberry and is complemented by a stone terrace featuring orange and lemon trees. There are wonderful views within the garden, and vistas to the surrounding area.

A Hartley Botanic greenhouse with a curved glass roof houses a propagation bench and many tender plants including cacti. A stand of Jaquemontii birch frames a view of Highgate Woods and over towards Hampstead Heath. Arid beds feature aloes and agaves. A small natural pond encourages wildlife.

Established palms, some of which are ten metres high, have been complemented by a variety of types, for instance a Chilean wine palm which will eventually dwarf them. Banana varieties include musa basjoo, ensete ventricosum and musella lasiocarpa. Other standout plants include tree ferns, tasmarisk, tetrapanax papyfer rex, grevilleas, tea trees, cycads, dasylirion, beschorneria, bamboos, yucca rostrata, bottle brush, cistus, strawberry tree and paulownia tree. There are several magnolia grandiflora, many interesting pines including the rare Wallemi pine, and tall specimen trees including a quercus suber (cork oak), three lancewood trees originating from New Zealand: a pseudopanax crassifolius and two pseudopanax ferox. Mediterranean herbs feature throughout the garden, as does as a wide range of pittosporums.

The garden is opening for the sixth time. It is the result of an eight-year evolution, starting with watercolour designs by the owner of his dream garden and is the result of a collaboration with garden designer Steve Buckley. Over twenty tons of stone from India and Portugal were used to create a structure to set off the planting, which is now very much maturing, realising the design. Stone and cast sculptures by artist owner, and in glass and metal by other artists.

In the lower, Paradise, garden there are two wonderful stone terraces with lovely seating, several new areas already planted up, sculptural teak roots from Indonesia, and 1.5 tons of glacial boulders and Westmoreland limestone rocks.

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