@sam bevington that looks so good! I love the planting and what a lovely place to sit on a warm summer evening... And that's a good idea with the planter at the back with the trellis.
Thanks. Under Gardener built the pergola and trellis for my birthday last year - the trellis was recycled from a dilapidated bandstand, unwanted by one of the schools I look after!
Oh, I don't have an iPad, only a Macbook. I suppose it won't work on that @FlyDragon?
Do you know the name(s) of the app at all?
I use procreate that does have a one off fee but I use it for other stuff anyway and its free. I don't think its on MacBook. I don't use my MacBook for drawing but I bet if you google it there will be one out there!
The slab looks well-laid. If it is relatively level you could always put decking over the top and then shade part of the area with a pergola. That way the concrete would be disguised, the heat radiating from the ground would be reduced and the timber would tie in with the pergola (assume you'd go for wood) and, perhaps, timber raised beds. If you decided against raised beds, you could create sweeping borders around the edges - leaving access points - which would help bed this new scheme into the existing garden. Visually, it would make the slab/deck look less imposing as you would not see it all at once.
Finally, Jacksons Fencing can supply bespoke pergolas with all the components including notched out cross-bearers. Very handy if you want a particular shape or size.
If you want to keep the concrete for future projects. I would suggest artificial turf. Make it into a sitting/social area. A few potted plants would be good but choose plants used to dry conditions. Could also use lighting and water feature to create a little haven.
Posts
I shall for sure post as I go along, I'm quite excited about this project myself
This is what we did with a similar area. The scent from the climbing roses, jasmine and honeysuckle is amazing when having a tipple or two!!😎
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I use procreate that does have a one off fee but I use it for other stuff anyway and its free. I don't think its on MacBook. I don't use my MacBook for drawing but I bet if you google it there will be one out there!
Finally, Jacksons Fencing can supply bespoke pergolas with all the components including notched out cross-bearers. Very handy if you want a particular shape or size.
The other side of the concrete area , with solar powered water balls😎