Green Tour: A Tiny Garden Sparkles With Art
Artist Jessica Zoob has turned the tiny garden behind her Sussex home into a green retreat peppered with sculptures and vintage finds
The small, sloping garden behind artist Jessica Zoob’s Victorian house in Lewes, East Sussex, is bursting with lush greenery and is dotted with treasured and personal sculptures, but when she moved here 10 years ago, the plot looked very different. “There was just a shed and a concrete garden here,” she says, “and not a single living plant anywhere at all!”
Jessica demolished the shed, installed decking, added some big rocks for character and planted about seven mature trees, mainly cherry and olive specimens. “I tried to make the garden feel as though it had been here forever,” she says. “After about a year it looked as if it had always been this way.” Ten years on, the garden remains a lush and inviting space, much loved and enjoyed by its owner and her two daughters.
Jessica demolished the shed, installed decking, added some big rocks for character and planted about seven mature trees, mainly cherry and olive specimens. “I tried to make the garden feel as though it had been here forever,” she says. “After about a year it looked as if it had always been this way.” Ten years on, the garden remains a lush and inviting space, much loved and enjoyed by its owner and her two daughters.
To make the most of its small footprint, Jessica planted lots of climbers so greenery runs up the vertical space. “It’s a vertical garden,” she says. “I chose mainly white plants, which look very simple and feel similar to the house’s interior. I wanted plants that would keep coming back and look beautiful all year round.”
Jasmine, climbing rose and honeysuckle grow here, bringing fragrance to the garden as well as colour.
Jasmine, climbing rose and honeysuckle grow here, bringing fragrance to the garden as well as colour.
Sculptures are dotted throughout the garden. This depicts Jessica with her daughters, Ana and Kat, when they were little.
Sculpture, Gerda Rubinstein.
Sculpture, Gerda Rubinstein.
“The garden is quite shady because of all those trees I put in!” laughs Jessica, who planted the mature trees when she moved here. “But it’s not overlooked at all, so it’s a lovely, private space.” Her love for vintage pieces, which is expressed inside her home, is also visible out here, where a huge old clock hangs on the wall.
Clock, No 1 Lewes.
Take an armchair tour of Jessica’s home
Clock, No 1 Lewes.
Take an armchair tour of Jessica’s home
The garden contains a table and chairs, a raised platform that works as a food prep area or sunbathing spot, and a pond. “I planted a lot of ferns at the back, as they can cope with shade,” says Jessica.
The sculpture sitting on the back wall is of her daughter, Ana. “It’s life-size and was made around five years ago when she was 14,” she shares.
Sculpture, Pippa Burley.
The sculpture sitting on the back wall is of her daughter, Ana. “It’s life-size and was made around five years ago when she was 14,” she shares.
Sculpture, Pippa Burley.
Another life-size sculpture, this time of daughter Kat when she was 11, sits by the pond.
Sculpture, Pippa Burley.
Sculpture, Pippa Burley.
Vintage finds, including this pretty birdbath are dotted around the garden.
The site is sloping, so the deck backs onto the bathroom wall and steps lead down to the doors in the kitchen and office that give access to the outside.
These Roman numerals were originally used to number croquet hoops in a lawn. “I’m always searching for them in flea markets,” says Jessica. “I love them; I have them inside and out.”
She has fitted large mirrors on the boundary wall at the rear of the garden to help the space feel much deeper.
This raised area is a clever multi-functional design. “It’s a butcher’s block, which is really comfortable to sunbathe on as it gets very warm,” she says. When having a barbecue, it can also be used for prepping food. “It has arms on the side, so you can also put cushions on it to make a kind of daybed and lounging area,” she adds.
Jessica built the pond and added a few huge rocks to give it a wild, natural look. “People often think the reclining nude by the pond is me,” she says. “It’s not!” Sculptor Pippa Burley made it and showed it here during an artists’ open studio exhibition. “I just fell in love with it,” says Jessica.
Sculpture, Pippa Burley.
Check out fabulous water features for your garden
Sculpture, Pippa Burley.
Check out fabulous water features for your garden
Now the plants have matured and Jessica’s tiny garden is brimming with life and colour. “I love it,” she says. “I try to get out here as much as possible.”
Read more:
How to Grow a Blooming Balcony Garden
6 Must-Haves for a New Kitchen Gardener
Tell us:
What do you think of this tiny town garden? Add your thoughts to the Comments below.
Read more:
How to Grow a Blooming Balcony Garden
6 Must-Haves for a New Kitchen Gardener
Tell us:
What do you think of this tiny town garden? Add your thoughts to the Comments below.
Who lives here Artist Jessica Zoob and her daughters, Kat and Ana
Location Lewes, East Sussex
Size Approximately 9m x 4.5m
“The garden is absolutely tiny, but I just love it,” says Jessica. “I’m passionate about gardening, so it’s weird for me to have such a small outside space. But it’s good because it’s very low maintenance – there’s no lawn to mow – which suits my busy life.”