A clematis or a rose on the wall would look lovely. It looks like there maybe wall space on the house to put trellis. Some designers warn about trying to do too much in a small space, because it's so exciting and new to have a blank canvas. Choose more of fewer plants. Perhaps spend some time deciding first how you really want the space to be before you buy anything or plant. Do you want to continuously plant - and so have annuals there, or do you think of it more as a perennial plot, that you plant up and then pretty much leave to its own devices? (How easy is access to water?) Do you love loads of colour, or scent or wildlife or something surprising? Do you want things going on all the year?
Have a look at what the Avon Wildlife Trust did with front gardens in Bristol. So much potential for reclaiming small spaces for wildlife value. Think of using the vertical spaces as well as the beds.
You have three easily defined sections here which is good if you want to zone into areas. I would tidy up the edging to make that neat and level of each section
I would have a dedicated area with pollinator plants closest to the garden path so you can also enjoy the smells.
In the middle, I would leave it gravelled and get a couple of pots and put a rose bush in each.
For the final secion, pop in some flowers you enjoy or more pollinator plants. There is a lot of pitential here and it looks like the hard work has already been done with clearing the majority down etc
The very publicness of the front garden can feel intimidating. But it's a great shame that it puts so many people off. It's my personal theory that this is why so many people now pave over - they don't want to feel judged.... But it's your space - do what inspires you. Build a tee pee, a fort, a veg garden, an art installation. Whatever floats your boat, I say.
I would advise against edibles in a street with so many cars parked until they're all electric. I would also advise against fancy obelisks as all too easy to nick. If there are lots of cats I would also advise against gravel as it is likely to become a litter tray.
Other than that, as Freddie's Dad says it's a question of style. Do you want it formal or informal, classy restraint or a riot of colour. There's room there for more than one rose and if you under plant with things like hardy geraniums you'll get ground cover that reduces weeds and feline deposits.
Plenty of roses out there and plenty of forms, sizes and colour of hardy geraniums to mix and match. In autumn you can plant loads of daffodils and hyacinths to give colour and perfume year after year and their dying leaves will be disguised by the hardy geraniums coming back.
Clematis can be herbaceous as well as climbers. Some are perfumed. Richard, who runs Hawthornes clematis nurseries, is always happy to advise on here so I suggest you look up his website, see if there's anything you fancy and then contact him via the site.
Before you plant anything, remove as much of the privet stumps as you can and work in plenty of organic matter to improve the soil - cheap MP compost, bags of well rotted manure and so on.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
I would keep it very simple. I think a cottage garden look of roses, delphiniums, peonies etc would look a bitty mess in an urban setting.
I would get get rid of that bench in the middle bed - could you ever imagine yourself sitting on it? - and freshen up the gravel laying it on a weed suppressing membrane. In the centre of the bed I would place a large reclaimed chimney pot reflecting the local architecture and pop into the top of the chimney a flower pot which could be replaced every few weeks: a pot of early daffodils, replace with a pot of tulips, perhaps then salvias or lobelia Crystal Palace etc. Anchor the chimney if you fear it might be stolen. In the absence of a chimney pot consider a classic, large terracotta pot to echo the colour of the rope edging. I love the pots sold by the Italian Terrace company in Suffolk.
In the two side beds I would have identical planting. I would smother them both with a complete blanket of geranium Roxanne and in the centre of each bed plant a lollipop standard bay or holly to give height and a little winter interest.
Make sure that the planting in the chimney pot complements the colour of the geranium.
Posts
http://www.avonwildlifetrust.org.uk/mywildstreet
Or something like a crab apple if you don't mind it being a bit bigger?
I personally can't have enough trees...
I would have a dedicated area with pollinator plants closest to the garden path so you can also enjoy the smells.
In the middle, I would leave it gravelled and get a couple of pots and put a rose bush in each.
For the final secion, pop in some flowers you enjoy or more pollinator plants.
There is a lot of pitential here and it looks like the hard work has already been done with clearing the majority down etc
Other than that, as Freddie's Dad says it's a question of style. Do you want it formal or informal, classy restraint or a riot of colour. There's room there for more than one rose and if you under plant with things like hardy geraniums you'll get ground cover that reduces weeds and feline deposits.
Plenty of roses out there and plenty of forms, sizes and colour of hardy geraniums to mix and match. In autumn you can plant loads of daffodils and hyacinths to give colour and perfume year after year and their dying leaves will be disguised by the hardy geraniums coming back.
Clematis can be herbaceous as well as climbers. Some are perfumed. Richard, who runs Hawthornes clematis nurseries, is always happy to advise on here so I suggest you look up his website, see if there's anything you fancy and then contact him via the site.
Before you plant anything, remove as much of the privet stumps as you can and work in plenty of organic matter to improve the soil - cheap MP compost, bags of well rotted manure and so on.
I would get get rid of that bench in the middle bed - could you ever imagine yourself sitting on it? - and freshen up the gravel laying it on a weed suppressing membrane. In the centre of the bed I would place a large reclaimed chimney pot reflecting the local architecture and pop into the top of the chimney a flower pot which could be replaced every few weeks: a pot of early daffodils, replace with a pot of tulips, perhaps then salvias or lobelia Crystal Palace etc. Anchor the chimney if you fear it might be stolen. In the absence of a chimney pot consider a classic, large terracotta pot to echo the colour of the rope edging. I love the pots sold by the Italian Terrace company in Suffolk.
In the two side beds I would have identical planting. I would smother them both with a complete blanket of geranium Roxanne and in the centre of each bed plant a lollipop standard bay or holly to give height and a little winter interest.
Make sure that the planting in the chimney pot complements the colour of the geranium.