Amanda runs Beanies Gardens in Islington and specialises in managing city gardens in London. She is famous for her pink wellies and is extremely passionate about her job and making the best of city gardens...

So what's it like looking after city gardens?

I'm always so excited to meet a new customer, and their city garden. Looking at the front of their city house or flat, there's usually no telling what's hidden behind it. And that's where it all begins for me. Walking around the city garden, talking about what my customers likes and doesn't will help me form a plan for transforming it for them. My customers love their gardens - even if they've just moved in and inherited a bit of a disaster area. Even if the plants and features just don't suit them. Or it just needs more TLC than they can give it during the week. They can see the potential and want to turn their city garden into a secret haven for them to enjoy.

Tell us about city garden challenges

Living in the city can bring many challenges, the climate's hotter than the countryside - we rarely have frost and the constant watering required can be a problem when there's a hosepipe ban. However water butts and a careful selection of plants can help overcome these challenges with city gardens.

With smaller city gardens and high boundary walls, a north facing garden might not get an inch of sunshine. Or a south facing plot may get concentrated sun all day long, which can dry out the soil, plants and scorch leaves if it's a dewy morning. Dark, shady ferns and woodland plants can withstand the dark. And tropical flowering plants won't mind the hot, dry sun all day long.

No matter the size of the city garden, children and pets are an interesting combination when living side by side with plants. Splitting the plot into areas helps retain plants and lawn where digging and football would usually take place. And nothing gives little hands pride in their garden like a few sunflowers, tomato plants and a wendy house.

Lawns are a big challenge at the moment. Hotter temperatures, a hosepipe ban and difficult, dry winters mean a lot of lawn care is required throughout the year. Turfing and reseeding must be done at the right time or it just won't work.

Many of London's huge trees are protected, so if one is sapping your soil of water and nutrients it can be very difficult to create the city garden you want. But not impossible! A few tricks with topsoil, mulching and carefully chosen plants can really help.

Photo: beautiful budget balcony -

Roof terraces and balconies have to withstand even hotter, drier temperatures as well as buffeting winds and pelting rain. And watering can't be forgotten without paying a hefty price within a day or two. But that's where hardy exotics and some tough little evergreens come into their own over here. And they make quite a display to look at through the window or sit amongst whilst sipping a glass of something cold.

Any city garden treats?

With a smaller plot, it's very easy to completely transform your city garden with a single-minded planting scheme. That could be with spiky architectural plants; blowsy, colourful annuals and bedding; every shade of green with evergreens.

One of the exciting things about a city pad is that the whole garden can be enjoyed from the home's windows, and designed with those views in mind. Cups of tea, washing up, eating dinner and cooking can all be catered for, with views to match one's state of mind.

City gardens are such a bonus, easily adding huge value to the property. And revamps can be done on a relatively small budget to show homebuyers what they could do with their patch of Eden. Adding garden furniture and a focal point or two, plus a lick of paint for the shed and some stunning seasonal colour lift the garden without costing the earth.

It's not all smog and smoke in the city. I regularly create wildlife gardens for young children (and parents!) to enjoy. Bird tables, insect houses, specific plants which attract all kinds of things and even a pond here and there bring nature into the smallest and darkest little garden.

Can you share any city garden stories?

Being a gardener has its fun sides and there are lots of stories to tell:

• Elderly neighbours provide tea and bakewell tarts over the fence!
• I donate any established, but unwanted plants to a local school who are preparing for a garden competition. Stakes are high and the feud between caretakers in fierce.
• One of my favourite customers ensures he's at home when I visit, so that we can take a walk around his front garden and terrace, commenting on how the plants are performing and any points of interest. We have an 'experimental area' where plants inherited from the previous owner are put before a decision is made of whether they belong in the new garden or not. Quite a few make their way back into the permanent collection!
• For every regular customer, I leave a little note which points out what they might like to visit in the garden - the first snowdrop, a new bunch of grapes, a self-seeded poppy or a flowering climber.

Thanks to: Amanda, Beanie's Gardens for all her ideas for managing a city garden.