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New garden design advice please
GardenerFromScratch
Posts: 24
I‘ve cleared my garden and have been pondering the design and would really appreciate some feedback and advice.
It’s a long thin garden with a 6 foot fence on the right (As you look down from the kitchen French windows). On the left is a very tried chain link fence. Beyond that is a pavement and road with quite a few passers by.
I’ve drawn up a draft of my initial plan.
Requirements:
1. Parking for 2 cars
2. Decent sized lawn and play area for the kids
3. Seating area for eating/drinking/BBQ
4. Veg patch
5. 2 existing sheds to relocate
Considerations:
1. fence the left side? My wife is keen for privacy but I’m concerned it may look like a corridor. Maybe fence halfway down then hedge past the veg patch where privacy not really necessary. Best way to soften the fence?
2. path route (blue dotted line)
3. Where to have seating. Evening sun is on the right hand fence - will this be much different in summer? The area behind the house gets very little sun. Thoughts on having the seating on the lawn so we can move it? A pain to mow, I know.
1. Parking for 2 cars
2. Decent sized lawn and play area for the kids
3. Seating area for eating/drinking/BBQ
4. Veg patch
5. 2 existing sheds to relocate
Considerations:
1. fence the left side? My wife is keen for privacy but I’m concerned it may look like a corridor. Maybe fence halfway down then hedge past the veg patch where privacy not really necessary. Best way to soften the fence?
2. path route (blue dotted line)
3. Where to have seating. Evening sun is on the right hand fence - will this be much different in summer? The area behind the house gets very little sun. Thoughts on having the seating on the lawn so we can move it? A pain to mow, I know.
4. Breaking it up into rooms without interrupting the lawn for the kids.
Some pictures of the view from ground level to come.
Thank you in advance. I’m a total novice, so nothing is too obvious to say!
0
Posts
Here are some suggestions but without seeing the site it is difficult to comment.
Draw it all up to scale before you start. It is much cheaper to change on paper than once you have started and find it doesn't work.
Think about your parking. If you want a drop kerb you will need to apply for permission from the council. Secondly you will be pulling in from a horrible bend. How safe is it? Thirdly, if you are thinking of installing a fence next to the road it can't be more than 1m tall for sight lines. Stupidly a hedge can be greater than 1m. Again you will need to check with the council. get permissions before you start as it can be costly.
Think about the shape of your lawn and beds. You don't want to end up with small spaces to mow or small beds that can't be planted up. Personally I would stick with a rectangular scheme with beds that baffle the eye as it moves down the garden to create interest. Screen the sheds with planting or trellis. Paint them a dark colour and they will recede into the shadows.
Think about your adult space. The garden can't just be for the kids. It must meet everybody's needs including pets. The shady area would make a great patio and transition to the house. Include a BBQ area if you eat outside but make sure the space is large enough for a table and chairs. 3.5mx3.5m works really well for a standard table. Think about including seating in various places. It's a long garden so it's nice to have somewhere to sit and watch the kids play.
Finally, check your soil and light and choose plants that will enjoy those conditions remembering that your hedge will dominate as it is already established. Choose plants that will take a ball and kids falling into them and think about all year colour not just Summer.
For hard landscaping check www.pavingexpert.com. It is a great site for information.
If in doubt, hire a garden designer.
Hope this helps.
If the evening sun is on the right hand fence, l think l'm right in saying it should get sunnier earlier as the year moves on.
When it comes to fencing, there are many climbers both deciduous and evergreen to choose from in order to soften it.
If you have the seating on the lawn, you may well find that the grass disappears where people scuff it with their feet.
My normal advice is to work from the house outwards, it gives you encouragement as you can see your progress from the windows.
Please don't sue me 😁
Then go for priorities. measure the space you need to manoeuvre 2 cars for ease of parking but first make sure you get council permission for access via a lowered kerb. Factor this into your costs.
How many sheds do you need? I would be inclined to have the two sheds facing each other with a path between or else sideways on and staggered if the garden isn't wide enough for that. Use the space behind on the car side for less sightly items like compost heaps, dust bins, recycling.
Think of making the sheds pretty - paint, trellis for climbers, window boxes or tubs - and putting a firm seating area in front of the one on the sunnier side with room for a table, chairs, minimum 60cm moving space behind the chairs, BBQ. Build a pergola in front of the sheds with trellis or tensioned cables across the side next to the public path. You can then grow climbers for privacy.
As the space is narrow, think of having diagonal paths that leave triangles either side. These can then be planted with grass, covered with bonded gravel for a play area, planted up with shrubs, perennials, a small tree. Diagonals make it seem wider.
There are plenty of plants that will grow well in pots on the terrace up by the house or, if the terrace is not yet made, you could plant straight into the ground and save a lot of time on watering. A seating area near the house is also a good idea and could just be a bench or a couple of chairs and you could also plan a recycling area here if it's more convenient. Hide it behind a screen of shrubs or trellis.
Much depends on the actual size, your budget, how long you have to spend in the garden each week, how old your children are and what play space they need.
I'd agree with @Obelixx - you need to clear the whole thing and then draw up a scale drawing - to the best of your ability.
Then prioritise your needs. People often think - 'oh a nice table and four chairs there', and then realise that the space they have is a square yard because it hasn't been drawn to scale.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
It’s all been cleared and the fence is going up as we speak. Im sticking to the same wood and red brick to match the house.
I like the ratio ideas - will definitely keep in mind and will post updates as I go.