Urban oasis

Behind a terraced house in Milan, designer Roberto Benatti has transformed a tiny garden into a green, English-style oasis

- ANNIE GUILFOYLE

Imagine a contemporary garden located in the centre of Milan, and you would most likely picture something formal and clipped. Surprisingly, Milanese garden designer Roberto Benatti, who cites the English father of the naturalistic, wild garden, William Robinson, as the “light on his gardening journey”, created quite the opposite for his clients who wanted their tiny, city garden to be transformed into a tranquil oasis.

Milan has a somewhat varied climate, with hot and humid summers, followed by cold, foggy and wet winters. On his first site visit, Roberto discovered that the rear garden was surrounded on all sides by tall buildings, and although southeast facing, catches only a little morning sun. By midday, it is firmly in the shade. There were two Phyllostachys aurea hedges, a 12m-high rear wall dominating the view and an unsightly air conditioning unit sat in the corner. The smaller front garden faces northwest but has an open aspect and more sun.