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Cotswold garden - In desperate need of some ideas please

Bolt123Bolt123 Posts: 8
in Garden design

Hello,  we could really do with some ideas please.  We have a new build house and have been in for 2 years. We have fab views over the countryside but we are struggling to know what to do with the fence that surrounds the back garden.  Behind the fence are open fields and weeds do grow quite extensively (we have cut them right back recently). There is the fence, a ditch and then the open fields. 

Has anyone got any suggestions as to what we can do to the boundary fence.  A hedge, bushes to pull the garden together?   There is a lot of fence and we have a dog if that helps with ideas.  He cannot jump the fence although we get cows wandering past in the summer.


I have attached a few pictures to help.


Many thanks







«13

Posts

  • K67K67 Posts: 2,506
    Why do anything? It's wonderful to have a view like yours.
    Looking after a hedge which would have the weeds growing around   and through it would be more work then just running a strimmer along the edge unless you need a windbreak 
  • Bolt123Bolt123 Posts: 8

    Thank you K67.  It looks rather scrappy I feel.  What about a flower bed running the length of the fence or is that going to be a nightmare to maintain?  It needs to be a large one as the garden is big.  We learnt from something else that putting something in too small just gets lost.


    I take your point regarding the weeds being even more difficult to maintain if there was a hedge in the way. I better say it took my husband nearly 3 days to cut down the weeds which had grown to the height of the fence!

  • TopbirdTopbird Posts: 8,355
    We have a 'paddock' / field behind us which is not maintained by the owners. It's full of thistles, docks and nettles which not only look unattractive for most of the year but also produce lots of seed which gets blown into our garden.

    I put in a hawthorn hedge a couple of years ago which is kept to about 1.2m high. It is now very dense and helps to keep the worst of the weed seeds out. The lower height means that, while we don't have to look at weeds when we're sat in the garden, we can still see big skies and trees at the other end of the field and beyond.

    With hindsight I wish I'd put in a yew hedge. It's not quite as wildlife friendly but is evergreen and doesn't need to be trimmed as often as hawthorn (every few weeks to keep it tidy.

    In your case you have a classically laid out formal garden so I think a low formal yew hedge would look good and you would still enjoy the views. If you eventually let it grow taller you could cut several large arches in it along the boundary to 'frame' glimpses of the landscape.
    Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
  • JellyfireJellyfire Posts: 1,139
    @Topbird took the words right out of my mouth, Id go for a Yew hedge, cut formally but with some taller curves to frame the view behind the bench etc as focal points. 
  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546
    Yew is not friendly to grazing animals, the farmer might be putting in a claim for lost stock!
  • TopbirdTopbird Posts: 8,355
    It's true that yew is not animal friendly @Buttercupdays - but:

    • There is a ditch between the fence and the field which may act as a mini ha-ha
    • The OP could plant a yew hedge a metre or so in front of the fence and keep it contained wholly within his land. It would then be up to the farmer to keep his animals away from the hedge.

    Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    Bolt, did you plant the trees?
  • KT53KT53 Posts: 9,016
    As a first step I would look for gardens in the area which open to the public.  They will have similar climate to you and may also have similar 'problems' to address.  Most garden owners are only too happy to talk about the successes and failures they have had along the way.

  • MarlorenaMarlorena Posts: 8,705
    Your garden extends beyond your white post and rail fence to the far hills beyond, as a borrowed landscape.   
    You don't want to block that out or interfere with its impact too much, which is why a dense evergreen hedge would not be my choice.  
    As a rosarian, I'm bound to say a couple of rambling roses along the fence would be my choice, as they would blend in with your wildish impediments growing from the other side, and are carefree as far as weeds are concerned - once established.   Before you throw your arms up in horror at a mass of thorns and difficult pruning, you can get thornless ramblers and they need little attention apart from some easy training along the lines of fence.

    'Lilac Bouquet' is one such, and the colour and form would suit a wild planting scheme... complementary to the views beyond I think..
      
    Have fun choosing your plants, you have an enviable situation...


    East Anglia, England
  • VegplotmummyVegplotmummy Posts: 96
    How about doing a bit of a meadow as your edging? Different heights of plants, foxgloves, cowslip, poppies etc with some large grasses etc to create depth. Would be relatively easy to maintain and would really frame your view beautifully.
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