Decided to make a couple of smaller changes and see how things develop. The pavers will keep the grass border. Proposed change below will be moving the bike shed,currently near the house to the end of the garden once the greenhouse arrives. 😊😊
I would be inclined just to make a big square bed in the middle of the lawn from the path over to the fence. That way you would break up the view and would have to walk down the path to see what is on the other side. You could have stepping stones through for weeding access. It would make mowing the two halves easier as well.
I agree with this approach. If you wanted to make it more interesting you could dog leg the path across to the other side to get through the bed. But keeping the path where it is would be much easier!
"What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour".
No offence intended, but I'd defo break this up into areas. As you are overlooked at either end, I'd try for rooms and split between (not sure where your greenhouse will go), but the area at the end near the pond looks enticing. The path looks functional. I've a similar garden I'm working on that has a direct concrete path from one end to the other, and it's an often used access path. Which makes it harder to abandon for a meandering style route. You could perhaps overlay the path with something a little more tasteful, like brick, or sandstone. I'd go full width with the beds from fence to path and wouldn't fanny around with shallow borders. I irritatingly can't have a patio adjacent to the house as a little potted area which you could. Remove the shed. I've a long narrow garden, and really like having it broken up into sections.
My Golden Rule with any long garden is to make the paths so that you can go one way down the garden and come back up a different way, even if it's only a few feet different!
@DampGardenMan my garden is about 14ft wide. It's easy for it to become all path if I were to do that. Sounds like a daft idea (on the face of it). I suppose you could just have a few paved/patiod areas interconnected by stepping stones.
@Wayside greenhouse is going on the hard standing just beyond the pond. It’s 12 w x10 deep so will cover a good junk of the hard standing which covers the entire with of the garden at the rear. Approx 19 w and 19 deep. I’m gradually being converted to the idea of larger beds interspaced with lawn paths. Just have to be mindful that I still need for practical things like the washing and the dog likes a good run on the lawn area. Also don’t want larger areas of soil whilst plants grow to their size due to no of cats in the neighbourhood including my own 😉. Looking forward to increasing stock through seeds and cutting. Will post my progress. Many thanks to all. It’s really helpful to get others contributions.
@Pam’s Pastures,..i love all the suggestions from everyone and have watched with great interest how your mind is thinking,..wanting a Cottage Style Garden,..with Perennials,..plus how you are taking into consideration your Clothes Line,..your OH moving his bike and the dog getting its run,..strange as it may seem but your garden area is about the same size as mine,..the only difference is my cement path is on the same side as if you come out from your house and travel along to where you have made the two new beds,..i agree with the suggestion that paths be they grass or gravel or stepping stones,..they should be wheelbarrow width,..my own paths would just about allow one through.
A suggestion from me would be to have the paths as lined below and the flower beds on each side of the paths,..keeping your cement path as it is,..or instead of the above suggestion have a path running on the opposite side of your cement path right along the garden then one path connecting the two running across the middle.
@nultyphilip224 I read your cottage garden thread almost every day. You have a wonderful garden and I must admit have inspired me to take the plunge. I reworked the lawn path by creating rectangles at which are offset. It’s all marked up and I have almost finished creating the first bed. I’m limited to creating a bed at a time not least as I don’t have room for a compost bin andantes waiting on the two weekly green waste collection. Im wanting to rework plants I have in large containers on the hard standing to this new border. The first is Garrya Ellipicta. Not sure if it would benefit from a prune. Has just two long branches after nearly a years growth. The second is a hydrangea Pinky Winky. In this bed already are a Sorbus tree. At the back a climbing rose. Not sure what the bulbs are, lots of growth but these are orange flowers. Advice on where to plant up would be great. Pictures below.
Posts
The path looks functional. I've a similar garden I'm working on that has a direct concrete path from one end to the other, and it's an often used access path. Which makes it harder to abandon for a meandering style route. You could perhaps overlay the path with something a little more tasteful, like brick, or sandstone.
I'd go full width with the beds from fence to path and wouldn't fanny around with shallow borders.
I irritatingly can't have a patio adjacent to the house as a little potted area which you could. Remove the shed.
I've a long narrow garden, and really like having it broken up into sections.
I’m gradually being converted to the idea of larger beds interspaced with lawn paths. Just have to be mindful that I still need for practical things like the washing and the dog likes a good run on the lawn area. Also don’t want larger areas of soil whilst plants grow to their size due to no of cats in the neighbourhood including my own 😉. Looking forward to increasing stock through seeds and cutting. Will post my progress. Many thanks to all. It’s really helpful to get others contributions.
A suggestion from me would be to have the paths as lined below and the flower beds on each side of the paths,..keeping your cement path as it is,..or instead of the above suggestion have a path running on the opposite side of your cement path right along the garden then one path connecting the two running across the middle.
Click on image to enlarge.
Philip
Im wanting to rework plants I have in large containers on the hard standing to this new border. The first is Garrya Ellipicta. Not sure if it would benefit from a prune. Has just two long branches after nearly a years growth. The second is a hydrangea Pinky Winky. In this bed already are a Sorbus tree. At the back a climbing rose. Not sure what the bulbs are, lots of growth but these are orange flowers. Advice on where to plant up would be great. Pictures below.