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Tiny split level garden and child safety

SusanmreaSusanmrea Posts: 5
in Garden design
My daughter and her family (husband, baby, toddler) live in a mid-terrace house 12ft wide. Built in the 1960s or 70s, it has three floors. The ground floor is built into a hillside; the main living space is above that, so that the sitting room leads into an enclosed back garden above the ground floor level. This on two levels. The part nearest the house is paved. There is a well-built retaining wall about 3ft or a metre high, with steps at the right hand side to cope with the rise. Across the back of the garden is a so-called 'coal path' giving access to the rear of all the houses in the terrace - the postman and other deliverers use it.

While she was pregnant, my daughter had her kitchen refitted and the ground floor (which had been a garage/workshop/storage area) revamped to include a downstairs loo and utility area. The baby came at the beginning of March, just as everything was completed. Now they are all at home all day, she also needs to be able to use the garden. This is where I am hoping someone can come up with inexpensive ideas. The patio area is small: I've drawn a plan from memory: the last time we visited, just before lockdown, the garden box was in place, and the green turtle sandpit, a tiny table and two chairs.  

There is no outdoor power, or water. The view from the sitting room is of the nearer retaining wall and the weedy grass on top. Not inspiring. There is now nowhere to keep a lawnmower. How can the 'lawn' area be made safe for a toddler? Grass for small children = running,  but a fall from there over the edge would be disastrous. 

I have helped plant the right (east) bed, and it is flourishing, dominated by a splendid fatsia. The bed at the back has its moments. For her birthday present in May, I would like to be able to say 'This is what we can do so that the children can look for mini-beasts,  feel as if they are exploring, maybe even pick strawberries - and be safe.' It is a very small space, so shouldn't cost a lot... 

All ideas and suggestions welcome. I have tried to draw it out from memory. 
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Posts

  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    edited April 2020
    Some kind of barrier or fence around the edge of the grass area would probably be best to stop an enthusiastic toddler from falling over the edge. Maybe safety glass for a modern look and to avoid blocking the view, but it might be expensive or impractical to install. This is the first hit that google found - no affiliation or recommendation, just an example with some pics https://www.decksupermarket.co.uk/collections/glass-balustrade.
    For the grass, maybe oversow with a wildflower mix and make it a meadow. It should still be cut occasionally but a small electric strimmer would probably do the job (an extension lead from inside should be manageable for a few times per year).
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • GreenbirdGreenbird Posts: 237
    I'm a little confused. Is the lawn area the lowwest point and you fear the children falling from the patio terrace down into the lawn? 


  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    I think the lawn is higher than the patio - there's an elevation diagram in the corner of the plan.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • GreenbirdGreenbird Posts: 237
    Oh yes.

    My parents have a similar layout. With a two foot drop from lawn to patio. They have a narrow border planted with low growing shrubs and annual bedding flowers. We never fell, and my own kids go their regularly without any issues. Weird really, there must be a law of nature that stops kids from stepping on plants.

    The steps are the bigger issue. Unsteady feet and overconfidence has caused my kids to tumble a few times.

  • SusanmreaSusanmrea Posts: 5
    Greenbird: the patio is the lowest point.  You step down out of the house onto it, then climb up the steps to get to the back of the garden. 
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    Greenbird said:
    Weird really, there must be a law of nature that stops kids from stepping on plants.
    We must have very different kids :|
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    edited April 2020
    I like the thought of glass balustrades but they are rather expensive.  A strong smallish picket fence across the top of the drop would probably do the job but the toddler would need to be taught how to come down the steps safely backwards or a safety gate installed at the top of the steps perhaps. I had a similar 4 ft drop  (onto flowerbeds) so when the grandchildren were born, I planted a dwarf box hedge across the top as a visual barrier. It works well but my garden slopes down not up so not visually intrusive.
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • GreenbirdGreenbird Posts: 237
    wild edges said:
    Greenbird said:
    Weird really, there must be a law of nature that stops kids from stepping on plants.
    We must have very different kids :|
    Footballs are the issue in my garden. Or my daughter taking control of the hose pipe and watering the plants on 'JET' mode 
  • SusanmreaSusanmrea Posts: 5
    Jenny: I do like the idea of glass balustrades. 
  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546
    My suggestion would be to forget about a lawn altogether if there is no way to cut it easily.
    I would make a fairly narrow bed along the top of the wall and curve the corners to continue along the edge of the steps and the lollipop fence - this side could be wider if wanted. Curve the top left corner too and finish by the coal path.
    This would give a roughly oval space for the children to play on, could be finished with bark at first, pending something better.
    Along the top of the wall I would plant  things to create a visual barrier,like perennial candytuft, (Iberis sempervirens), Helianthemum, shrubby Potentilla and other rock garden plants that would happily cascade over the wall and improve the outlook from the sitting room without being too high. Though if the wall is rendered you might all prefer to paint a family mural...
    I have a similar wall opposite my front windows and have found that sage is happy to oblige and also Rosmarinus officinalis prostratus, the trailing rosemary, and marjoram makes a small. shrubby plant with pretty flowers all summer, so it could be a bit of a herb garden. Many of these plants are evergreen too.
    Along the step side there could be any small plants of choice and finish these 2 sides with a low mini fence or decorative edging to keep the children further away from the risk of falling.
    The left hand side could become more of a wildlife area, or a place for some veg. or those strawberries, though those could also be grown in a container. Bird feeders, bee, /bug hotels, hedgehog houses etc could be added later, as could a mini wildlife pond when the children are old enough
    In the top left corner a small tree might be nice for a little shade, or even a suitable shrub. Some cotoneasters make good small 'trees' and are very forgiving - if one branch grows too tall or in the wrong direction you just cut it off and it will grow another branch.
    Just my musings, I'm sure other will have lots of ideas too - hope you are spoiled for choice as it's a lovely thought. :)
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