--- title: "Garden Refresh in Finchley Central N3 | CLEO M Gardening" description: "Full garden refresh in Finchley Central N3: railway sleeper raised beds, Chelsea Premium Square trellises, Royal Exterior Protek black paint on the fence, fresh planting and pressure washing. Photos and detail from CLEO M Gardening." url: https://cleomgardening.co.uk/projects/garden-refresh-finchley-central-n3/ --- [Home](/) › [Projects](/projects/) › Garden Refresh, Finchley Central N3 # Garden Refresh in Finchley Central N3 Black-painted fence, Chelsea trellises, railway-sleeper raised beds and fresh planting Location **Finchley Central, N3, London** Completed **March 2026** Service **Landscaping** Scope **Sleeper beds + planting** ## The Brief A North London family in Finchley Central N3 had a back garden that had quietly fallen behind. The fence was a tired natural-timber close-board run, the borders were thin and overgrown, and the patio area was looking dull. They wanted a real refresh, something that would feel like a finished, considered garden by the end of the week rather than a never-ending project. ## What We Did * **Built new railway-sleeper raised beds** along the full length of the perimeter, painted black so they would read as a single quiet boundary rather than three competing materials. * **Painted the existing close-board fence run with Royal Exterior Protek in black**, finished from inside the bed so the timber under the sleeper edge stayed protected. Royal Exterior is a long-life timber treatment, so the colour will hold for several seasons before a refresh is needed. * **Installed Chelsea Premium Square trellis panels along the top of the fence run**, painted to match. Adds about 30 cm of height for climbers to grow into without making the fence feel oppressive. * **Filled the new beds with quality compost** and planted a mix of evergreen structure and seasonal colour, choosing variegated photinia, cordyline, climbing jasmine and lower-growing heuchera for ground-level interest. Plants chosen for the aspect of the bed (mixed sun/shade) and to read well against the dark fence behind. * **Pressure washed the patio** as part of the same visit so the whole garden read as a single refresh rather than a half-done job. ## The Result A coherent back garden with a single quiet dark boundary, fresh planting that has presence from day one, and a clean patio surface to sit on. The black sleeper beds + black trellis + black-painted fence gives the planting a strong backdrop that makes both the evergreens and the seasonal flowers read more vividly than they would against a faded natural timber background. **Job duration:** Approximately one working week on site for the build, paint, plant and pressure wash. Plants chosen for the aspect were grown-on and ready to drop in so the bed read as established at handover rather than spaced-out and bare. ## Gallery ![After: black-painted railway sleeper raised beds with new variegated shrubs against fresh black fencing](/pictures/projects/garden-refresh-finchley-central-n3/finchley-01-after-hero.webp) ![After: mature planted corner with established shrubs and slatted black trellis screen](/pictures/projects/garden-refresh-finchley-central-n3/finchley-02-after-corner.webp) ![After: cordyline, photinia red robin and climbing trellis frames installed in the new raised bed](/pictures/projects/garden-refresh-finchley-central-n3/finchley-03-after-detail.webp) ![After: Chelsea Premium Square trellis panels above black-painted close-board fence](/pictures/projects/garden-refresh-finchley-central-n3/finchley-04-after-trellis.webp) ![After: clean artificial lawn bordered by black-painted timber fence and trellis tops](/pictures/projects/garden-refresh-finchley-central-n3/finchley-05-after-lawn.webp) ![After: newly planted variegated shrubs and photinia in the black sleeper raised bed](/pictures/projects/garden-refresh-finchley-central-n3/finchley-06-after-planted.webp) ![After: mature seasonal planting filling the full length of the raised bed](/pictures/projects/garden-refresh-finchley-central-n3/finchley-07-after-mature.webp) ![Before: covered patio area with rough grass and existing timber fences in need of refresh](/pictures/projects/garden-refresh-finchley-central-n3/finchley-08-before.webp) ![During: new wooden trellis panels laid out on the artificial grass ready for installation](/pictures/projects/garden-refresh-finchley-central-n3/finchley-09-during-base.webp) ![Detail of the new dark slatted fence panels with horizontal slats](/pictures/projects/garden-refresh-finchley-central-n3/finchley-10-during-fence.webp) ![Side access path with new close-board fence](/pictures/projects/garden-refresh-finchley-central-n3/finchley-11-side-fence.webp) ![Stone-paved courtyard with new dark slatted fencing fronting the rear extension](/pictures/projects/garden-refresh-finchley-central-n3/finchley-12-side-finished.webp) × ❮ ❯ 1 / 1 ## Planning a Garden Refresh? Message Clement on WhatsApp or call 07958 330070 for a free quote across Finchley, Barnet and North London. [Get a Free Quote](https://wa.me/447958330070?text=Hi%20Clement%2C%20I%27d%20like%20a%20free%20quote%20for%20a%20garden%20refresh.)