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Where to start when designing a garden?
Garden noob
Posts: 260
We've been in our house for a few years and are learning about gardening. We started with this:
And now we have this:
We've enjoyed playing but there's been no real plan behind it - we're just making it up as we go along.
I now want to go back to the drawing board and make a garden from scratch. In particular, I want to knock down the structure at the bottom of the garden as it's a bit of an eyesore. I would also lose the raised beds.
But where to start? I'm out of my depth. I basically want a nicer version of what we've got now, but with a more interesting layout (bigger beds, shaped lawn, possibly a seating area etc). We like hosting the odd barbecue so would look to keep a reasonable sized lawn. The current garden suits us in terms of upkeep - a bit of work (which we enjoy doing), but manageable. At this stage I'm happy to park the exact detail of what's grown in each bed etc, but will need to address that at some point.
Budget isn't really the limiting factor here, although I don't have Chelsea Flower Show type of ambitions - I just want a nice enjoyable space with a bit of thought behind it.
The garden is north facing. The is also a bridge to the west (see in the photos) so we tend to lose the evening sun. We're in the south east. The soil is fairly good - loam bordering on clay.
And now we have this:
We've enjoyed playing but there's been no real plan behind it - we're just making it up as we go along.
I now want to go back to the drawing board and make a garden from scratch. In particular, I want to knock down the structure at the bottom of the garden as it's a bit of an eyesore. I would also lose the raised beds.
But where to start? I'm out of my depth. I basically want a nicer version of what we've got now, but with a more interesting layout (bigger beds, shaped lawn, possibly a seating area etc). We like hosting the odd barbecue so would look to keep a reasonable sized lawn. The current garden suits us in terms of upkeep - a bit of work (which we enjoy doing), but manageable. At this stage I'm happy to park the exact detail of what's grown in each bed etc, but will need to address that at some point.
Budget isn't really the limiting factor here, although I don't have Chelsea Flower Show type of ambitions - I just want a nice enjoyable space with a bit of thought behind it.
The garden is north facing. The is also a bridge to the west (see in the photos) so we tend to lose the evening sun. We're in the south east. The soil is fairly good - loam bordering on clay.
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Posts
Shed, gazebo, pergola, trellis, arbour, paths, terrace, pond, wildlife refuge/habitat, colour, perfume, climbers, shrubs, perennials, fruit, veggies, herbs................
In a long narrow garden you need to create illusions of width and depth by planting in certain way. Check Amazon for garden design books. Good Luck!
Start by measuring it and creating a map - several copies, then you can sketch ideas on them over time.
Then do some reading, watching, for design ideas and decide what you want to try. I’ve ended up dividing my garden into four sections and aiming for simplicity.
I think one thing to bear in mind is that you can just get started, it doesn’t really matter if your idea doesn’t work, you can just start again. 😀
I've also measured the garden and am surprised that it's even longer and narrower than I realised (measuring is a good start!). And I've dug out some old graph paper to sketch some ideas.
I don't quite know where I'm going with this, but thanks to your comments I feel I can see the next few steps in the journey. I'm sure I'll be back soon to ask for more input when I have a better idea of what I'm trying to achieve!