I spent £50 a month turning my drab backyard into a Japanese garden

A father-of-two has spent £10,000 transforming his drab backyard at his terraced home into an incredible Japanese garden complete with monk’s Zen space, Koi carp pond, cherry blossoms and waterfall.

The garden has been a labour of love for Martin Fitton, 55, from Bristol, for the past 14 years having started work on it as a hobby in 2009.

Spending just £50 per month transforming the once desolate backyard into his garden of dreams, Mr Fitton now attracts visitors from all over the world. 

He has even opened it up for guided tours and afternoon teas, and was featured on BBC Gardeners World last year.  

Mr Fitton was inspired after visiting a garden open to the public in Poole and started renovating an old climbing frame as one of his first projects, altering it into a Japanese-style climber.

Martin’s backyard before he started his project to build a Japanese garden in 2009

The Bristol father says he is saving up and hopes to visit Japan in 2025

He proceeded to install a koi pond in the bottom of the garden, an especially important feature for him, having collected fish for over 25 years after receiving advice on keeping them from his grandfather.

Now Mr Fitton is set to open his garden to the public as part of the National Garden Scheme after it was visited by admirers from as far as Japan and other parts of Asia, attracting up to 22 visitors per hour.

‘I did everything in the garden apart from the lanterns and recently added a Zen garden which monks use to meditate,’ said Mr Fitton.

‘One Japanese visitor couldn’t believe that I made everything myself, including a replica of a famous temple.’

The father-of-two says he is overwhelmed by the attention his garden has received

But he has saved substantially, designing and doing the work himself, while investing in wood treated with a Japanese technique – shou sugi ban – which is believed to help ensure the material will last for roughly 100 years.

He has perfect Bonsai trees and has been told by several Japanese visitors that it is a ‘home from home’.

One of his favourite features is a traditional teahouse, complete with concrete lanterns and pagodas, where Mr Fitton loves having a cup of tea with wife, ward clerk Cyndie.

The lavish garden marks a dramatic contrast from the front of Martin’s terraced house

An old climber was among the first of his design projects, and Mr Fitton eventually altered it into a Japanese-style frame

Mr Fitton (pictured) said when he first looked into the Japanese style, he learned there was a lot more you can do in terms of creativity – not just a shed, lawn and flowers

Martin, who studied Japanese garden culture after going on a course in Dorset in 2009, works on the garden in Brislington Village, Bristol, during the week.

At the weekend, he works shifts as a tanker driver.

He built himself everything except the the courtyard and concrete lanterns, for which he had expert assistance.

Despite having a garden that looks like it’s  been plucked straight from Tokyo, he has never visited Japan but hopes to go in 2025.

According to Martin, his garden has been complimented by Japanese people, which he says was important to him, as he didn’t want to offend anyone by ‘doing it wrong’

He renovated the space entirely by himself, and says he is proud of the garden he has created and enjoys

He said: ‘I did everything in the garden apart from the lanterns and recently added a Zen garden which monks use to meditate.

‘One Japanese visitor couldn’t believe that I made everything myself, including a replica of a famous temple.

‘I was visited by a YouTuber last year who came to the UK to visit it.

‘After the pandemic some visitors from Japan and Asia said it felt like being at home when they couldn’t travel.’

Martin, pictured here relaxing in his backyard, first fell in love with Japanese gardens after visiting one on holiday in Dorset in 2009

The garden is split across four levels and each one has a slightly different feel to it. Mr Fitton was inspired while on a holiday to Compton Acres in Dorset where he saw the design of a public Japanese garden

Martin tends his Japanese garden whenever he can and is opening it up to the public

He has also built a bridge going over a scenic pond, along with a contained zen garden at the back of the tier, and to the left is a courtyard with a bamboo partition.

It took some effort but Mr Fitton adapted the garden’s steep slope, carving out carefully organised tiers – shifting soil between the top and bottom of the garden to eventually create four levels.

This would become home to an amazing array of outbuildings, plants and trees, including pines, cloud trees, bamboo, wisterias, willow and cherry trees.

Martin Fitton (pictured) has spent years creating his Japanese garden in the backyard of his Bristol home

Visitors from Japan and Asia have praised the authenticity of Martin’s Japanese garden

He said: ‘Every day after dinner I go and sweep the leaves. It isn’t like an English garden as there’s no mud. I am overwhelmed with the attention. I never would have dreamed creating something in my garden would go so far in the UK and go even further in Japan.

‘I have made some wonderful friends from Japan. I get a lot of people contacting me through my Facebook page, YouTube channel and website saying I have given them inspiration to go out in their gardens and create their own Japanese garden or finish something they started years ago.’

Martin added: ‘My neighbours think it’s wonderful and can’t believe the garden is in Bristol.’