Gardening in the city can be tough. We don’t all have conventional garden plots and many are lucky to have even the tiniest of outdoor spaces. Light wells and side passages are often awkward, shady and cramped. I understand why they are often neglected because they are perhaps the most difficult of settings to turn into what could be called a thriving garden. Gardening in such a space can be claustrophobic and challenging — infuriating, too — especially when potting plants into larger containers and moving things around. But with a little know-how, positive thinking, cash and effort these hostile places can be transformed into lush, inviting and therefore valued areas.

Not everyone is going to transform their basement or alley into a designer special, but there are a few key elements worth focusing on that will ultimately lead to a much-improved and more attractive space. My dream design for such an area would include custom-built planters, interesting wall finishes, perhaps a large mirror or two, concealed built-in storage and some simple lighting and irrigation. It would also look good when viewed from inside through the window and become a major feature to the property.

The absolute priority in shady areas is tone rather than colour. Dark boundaries, surfaces and any bare soil will sap the light and life from such a space, further adding to the gloom, so aim to lighten any hard surfaces.

Painting walls or using a light-coloured (always use off-white rather than pure white) trellis will help to bounce the light around. If you are thinking of putting down new surfacing go for a light-coloured sandstone or granite, or even use economic light-coloured gravel or aggregate thrown on top of existing paving as a quick fix. There are some good exterior floor paints that can be painted directly on to concrete paving for a cheap yet extremely effective look.

Once you have established your light backdrop, don’t simply rush in and cram the space with a muddle of pots and plants. Stick to one type of container for a cohesive style: bespoke containers can be costly but large plain terracotta pots are good value and can be paint-washed with a masonry paint to create a really stylish look. Again, go for a light colour, the same as the boundaries, so that the composition becomes even more tonal, or use a subtle colour to complement it.

After planting, mulch the soil at the top of the pots with light natural gravel so that absolutely no bare dark soil is visible.

With the planting, don’t try for all-out colour, which is hard to achieve all year round in shade. Look for a classy foliage combination of greens, variegated plants and some finer-cut leaves to create an airier, lighter tapestry. The surface and boundary treatment will also help the plants’ growth considerably because the general light levels have been raised.

When planting it’s important to think in layers to avoid ending up with all the planting below knee height. A tall shrub or even small tree will help to break things up above eye level. You can’t beat a simple green Japanese maple such as Acer palmatum ‘Sango-kaku’, which will thrive in a pot in acidic compost as long as it gets plenty of water. It will put on a wonderful autumn display and then obligingly drop its leaves to help to let the light through during the winter.

At mid-level, plants such as the creamy white-flowered Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’ or elegant long-flowering white Japanese anemones, or the spring-flowering wall shrub Chaenomeles speciosa ‘Nivalis’ will do the job.

Once you have established some height, plant up the remaining pots with lower-growing filigree ferns, cool hostas (some Vaseline or WD40 spray around the top of the rim should keep snails out), white and reddish pink astrantias, white flowering epimediums, frothy tiarellas, glossy, large-leafed Bergenias and the like.

Explore Gardens

• Hampton Court Palace Flower Show

• Chelsea Flower Show

Times recommends

• Second homes: credit crunch casualty or money-spinner?
• How I built my own sliding house
• Top 10 incentives for house buyers