The difficult area - damp and shady ... For now I think we’ll just tidy up and keep brushing the patio to remove all the muck that will walk in the house ... I have some ‘stable style’ semi circle baskets which could be fitted to the wall and filled with bright bulbs if the landlady doesn’t mind.
Whilst we were weeding a very friendly cat came to join us - I think ‘he’ will be a regular in the garden so perhaps the herbs might have to be confined to one area that can be protected from him. Garden full of insects - masses! Loads of worms, centipedes, woodlice, bees, snails and ants.The soil looks amazing - very loamy and we didn’t come across a single stone! Looks like it has years of leaf matter compost... The garden is going to be organic with an emphasis on interest all year round ( if possible) not just in the summer as it’s possible that she will be away for some if not most of the summer. Some of her house mates will be living there over the summer so watering won’t be such a problem.
@libby.wilkinson I think it's wonderful that your daughter has a keen interest in gardening and that you are all helping her to improve her outside space. My children have both graduated now, my daughter recently. Having somewhere to sit outside with greenery around them was very important to them both. I've just shown your photos to my daughter and she's read your posts. She advises the following from experience. A table and chairs and parasol is the most important thing to come out of the budget, can be second hand as it would be fun to do a makeover on them. Preferably chairs that fold flat and can be stored away easily inside, and maybe used inside too if entertaining during the winter. A seating area outside is really appreciated by all. Somewhere for a sit down and a cuppa and chat outside, or to even sit on dry, bright days with a laptop and books to study is mood lifting when deadlines are nearing. A couple of those outside rugs that can be washed down with a brush and soapy water would be useful, somewhere extra to sit on cushions and hang out with friends. To clear all the weeds and rubbish. Then buy them a couple of those weed clearing wire brush tools so they can keep the weeds at bay. Having two tools so you can weed clear with a housemate would be more fun and so more likely to occur. She says leave the ivy tree stump, it looks good and should stay for the wildlife. She says she missed plants from home so plants from your garden would be more special. Easy care stuff that doesn't need dead heading (there simply won't be time for that), just chopping to the ground once like hardy geranium. Nothing that self seeds everywhere! She says Honesty plants if you can get some would look good for ages and it would be interesting as the flowers turn into seed heads over many weeks. Then they can pick the stems with the seed heads for the house. Exam/ revision times are stressful and extremely busy January, April May and June so anything in flower then would lift the mood. A couple of cheap but large rectangular planters could give interest all year. A pretty hellebore and winter pansies for the late winter, mini daffodils native primroses. She says a herb planter would be great, chives, parsley and rosemary would be well used, also garlic would be fun to grow. Don't grow anything where slugs would need controlling! She wonders if the area as you enter the back gate can be made more foot friendly. Is it concrete or bare earth? Can you inset a few cheap slabs or stepping stones level so you don't bring dirt in the house? She says not to fix anything to walls, it will probably not be allowed anyway, and things are more likely to be watered on ground level. She says don't forget a house plant or two. She came home with a few succulents and easy foliage plants they'd all bought themselves as they are very on trend and easy to care for. Finally, she says the coat stand needs some old boots with ivy planted in hung there for all round interest...and wishes your daughter good luck for the rest of her time at University!
Thankyou Lilysilly - some great ideas. We have recycled a garden table and some fold out chairs - parasol a good idea! I love the plant ideas too - honesty would be particularly lovely... The area by the back gate is concrete ( over beautiful black Victorian yard bricks - some exposed) I think it has years of muck on it so I’m going to leave the yard brush with them. I think you are right about the ivy stump - also gives a bit of privacy from the house above. Going to see who has responsibility for the ‘fence’ at the back as it could do with replacing - if only with cheap rattan material. Landlady is nice apparently but very slow to get things done - there is a broken fridge in the kitchen that had been there all the previous year - just taking up space, there is a working one thankfully. Don’t think I’ll hold my breath getting her to ‘fix’ things. Some great ideas - thank you. Day 2 today - I’ll keep everyone posted!
Would you be allowed to put down some gravel in that awkward shady spot? It's safer than paving if you need to use it in wet or wintery weather. Easy enough and inexpensive to do as well, and brightens the area. A membrane first to prevent it all sinking. I have some of those hay racks, and they can be very useful in shady spots, so it's worth asking if they wouldn't mind you putting them up. If you line them carefully, and plant appropriately [heucheras, bulbs, hellebores etc] they don't need much attention. Mine form part of a 'green wall' thingy, although mine is fence rather than wall.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
A student house I was in for a couple of years had a similar looking yard.
I cleared it & planted lots of herbs which were popular & well used. Got a sack of daffodil bulbs from the local DIY barn for a few quid. After that I just bought loads of those mixed flower border seeds & scattered them liberally over the borders. I made a table & benches from pallets & wood scavenged from skips.
The space was used for study, bbq's, drinking & games.
It was worth the heavy work to create the space, but I deliberately kept it on a simple maintenence level as inevitably there were lots of other distractions at that point in life.
@libby.wilkinson, if you're still around, l wonder if you would mind letting us know how the garden is going ? The reason l ask is that l know someone with a very similar layout who was asking for some advice, and l remembered the " Student house" thread.
Posts
I have some ‘stable style’
semi circle baskets which could be fitted to the wall and filled with bright bulbs if the landlady doesn’t mind.
The garden is going to be organic with an emphasis on interest all year round ( if possible) not just in the summer as it’s possible that she will be away for some if not most of the summer. Some of her house mates will be living there over the summer so watering won’t be such a problem.
My children have both graduated now, my daughter recently. Having somewhere to sit outside with greenery around them was very important to them both.
I've just shown your photos to my daughter and she's read your posts. She advises the following from experience.
A table and chairs and parasol is the most important thing to come out of the budget, can be second hand as it would be fun to do a makeover on them. Preferably chairs that fold flat and can be stored away easily inside, and maybe used inside too if entertaining during the winter. A seating area outside is really appreciated by all. Somewhere for a sit down and a cuppa and chat outside, or to even sit on dry, bright days with a laptop and books to study is mood lifting when deadlines are nearing. A couple of those outside rugs that can be washed down with a brush and soapy water would be useful, somewhere extra to sit on cushions and hang out with friends.
To clear all the weeds and rubbish. Then buy them a couple of those weed clearing wire brush tools so they can keep the weeds at bay. Having two tools so you can weed clear with a housemate would be more fun and so more likely to occur. She says leave the ivy tree stump, it looks good and should stay for the wildlife.
She says she missed plants from home so plants from your garden would be more special. Easy care stuff that doesn't need dead heading (there simply won't be time for that), just chopping to the ground once like hardy geranium. Nothing that self seeds everywhere! She says Honesty plants if you can get some would look good for ages and it would be interesting as the flowers turn into seed heads over many weeks. Then they can pick the stems with the seed heads for the house.
Exam/ revision times are stressful and extremely busy January, April May and June so anything in flower then would lift the mood. A couple of cheap but large rectangular planters could give interest all year. A pretty hellebore and winter pansies for the late winter, mini daffodils native primroses. She says a herb planter would be great, chives, parsley and rosemary would be well used, also garlic would be fun to grow. Don't grow anything where slugs would need controlling!
She wonders if the area as you enter the back gate can be made more foot friendly. Is it concrete or bare earth? Can you inset a few cheap slabs or stepping stones level so you don't bring dirt in the house?
She says not to fix anything to walls, it will probably not be allowed anyway, and things are more likely to be watered on ground level.
She says don't forget a house plant or two. She came home with a few succulents and easy foliage plants they'd all bought themselves as they are very on trend and easy to care for.
Finally, she says the coat stand needs some old boots with ivy planted in hung there for all round interest...and wishes your daughter good luck for the rest of her time at University!
I love the plant ideas too - honesty would be particularly lovely...
The area by the back gate is concrete ( over beautiful black Victorian yard bricks - some exposed) I think it has years of muck on it so I’m going to leave the yard brush with them.
I think you are right about the ivy stump - also gives a bit of privacy from the house above. Going to see who has responsibility for the ‘fence’ at the back as it could do with replacing - if only with cheap rattan material.
Landlady is nice apparently but very slow to get things done - there is a broken fridge in the kitchen that had been there all the previous year - just taking up space, there is a working one thankfully. Don’t think I’ll hold my breath getting her to ‘fix’ things.
Some great ideas - thank you.
Day 2 today - I’ll keep everyone posted!
I have some of those hay racks, and they can be very useful in shady spots, so it's worth asking if they wouldn't mind you putting them up. If you line them carefully, and plant appropriately [heucheras, bulbs, hellebores etc] they don't need much attention. Mine form part of a 'green wall' thingy, although mine is fence rather than wall.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
The reason l ask is that l know someone with a very similar layout who was asking for some advice, and l remembered the " Student house" thread.