Forum home› Garden design
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

1st Garden! New home owner- FREAKING OUT

dancecchini1dancecchini1 Posts: 6
in Garden design
Hello- 1st time home buyer - huge garden (100x30ft area visible in 2nd pic ) now ours with NO CLUE as to what to do with it!?
Thought about levelling and turfing it with some help from a Landscaper. But really Im a complete novice and have no idea what I'm doing. We have MAXED ourselves out financially trying to buy the house so money is VERY tight but as ever you make things work if you need to so am open to suggestions as to what to do. Also Im a 1st time poster so if Ive stepped on any 1st time posting protocols I sincerely apologize. But any help would be so very gratefully appreciated 
«13

Posts

  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    Welcome on board. 
    That's quite a slope you have there.
    Devon.
  • LoxleyLoxley Posts: 5,698
    My first thought would be getting a ski-lift installed!  :D 
    "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour". 
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited March 2019
    Welcome @dancecchini1 :)

    As @Hostafan1 says, thats some slope ... I would terrace that ... but before rushing into things, how do you want to use your garden ... 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039
    I agree, the only way to make that usable is to terrace it.
    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • dancecchini1dancecchini1 Posts: 6
    Yes I kind of thought terrace may be the best solution to the STEEP slope down from decking. Lots of Youtube videos + dig it out myself and poss get a lanscaper to do sleepers/gabions or something
    My 1st thought was just for an easy life (ha!) and to level and turf the 30x100ft section. But was worried about costs - thinking 2/3K for that experience.... did some basic turfing calculations via websites etc. Not sure - like I said excited and worried in equal measure. Thank you so much for responding.
  • Allotment BoyAllotment Boy Posts: 6,774
    Seed is much cheaper than turf for a large area, and we are coming in to a good time to sow it. All grass is not a low maintenance option though as it needs cutting regularly. I agree terracing and some borders to break it up + somewhere to sit, then do some areas of grass if you wish. 
    AB Still learning

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    A steep grassy slope is almost impossible for the amateur to mow safely ... and grassy slopes are very slippery when wet ... if you gong have knee problems you might acquire one ... definitely terracing is the way to go. 

    Do you really need grass on any of it? 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • dancecchini1dancecchini1 Posts: 6
    I think Im ok with mowing ( find it weirdly therputic-in our much smaller last rented house ) not sure if  watering and tending to load of plants would be realistic. Would love to feel like a park with lots of grass for the little ones to play on. How do i go about investigating soil integrity and sussing out how much levelling need to be done to get the bottom section flatish( not the extreme slope) Is that all Landscaper territory or could I reasonably do something like that my self. Even writing that worries me - so Im guessing a call to a landscaper  :o:D
  • dancecchini1dancecchini1 Posts: 6
    Thanks again for the advice :):)
  • dancecchini1dancecchini1 Posts: 6
    Hazel 1 - that sound like very good advice. Mum in law said we should watch what the seasons do to the garden for a year 1st before we do anything- to see where the light falls etc . I forgot she said that in all the excitement to be honest - so thanks for the reminder. Basically caqlming down in general would be good.... The emotional rollercoaster that is buying your 1st house has left us both pretty frazzled. 
Sign In or Register to comment.