I would make the patio a little deeper to 3m. 2.5m leaves little space for you to move around a table and chairs comfortably when everyone is sitting down. Most people tend to sit further back from a table in the garden than they would in a dining room. Also some garden furniture is quite bulky - especially the rattan style sets which are so popular.
Re the cost, I suspect the designers cost is based on everything being done at once, by contractors and an assumed price point for materials, all plants purchased together etc.
As you have a plan, you could easily ask builders for quotes or cost up the materials yourself. Gardens are no different to kitchens, the same design could cost £5000 or £25000 depending on your choice of materials, equipment and whether you are paying for someone else’s labour or doing some/all of it yourself.
Many of us on the forum have developed our gardens over a number of years, when you’ve done that and maybe inherited your hard-landscaping ready done, it’s easy to under-estimate how much landscaping can cost.
If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”—Marcus Tullius Cicero East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
We had this with our garden. It was an overgrown jungle.
We decided what we wanted to have in the garden. Considered the aspects any privacy issues etc then begun to plan around those. we designed it ourselves and did most of the work ourselves. We did it gradually ourselves and a year later are facing the last few parts. It’s slower than just getting a designer and having it all done in one go but it’s a lot cheaper and has been way more fun.
I’m now growing my first ever seedlings to get in this year and loving it.
thanks, yes i do think it will need to be step by step. Building works first and then at the very least I can just lay it to lawn and get some raised planters.
The designer was indeed all in and would have been excellent but too much money. I may just browse their website and get some ideas.
I couldn't agree more. By all means, make a general plan, but start on something small, especially if you are relatively inexperienced. You will probably want to revise many of your plans, anyway. Begin with one area, structural things that would disrupt planting if you do it later and focus on that. My garden was also a jungle when we arrived but it has given me 30 years of pleasure, working on it and developing it. It wouldn't meet a designer's standards even now, but I know and love every inch of it.
Hi All, I am back here after almost a year. The garden/jungle has now been made into a flat area ready to take new turf next week. I now need to decide what to do around the edges and also in the raised flower bed near pine tree. Please see attached pictures.
I want to have low maintenance low bushes shrubs etc. which can provide a nice dose of color all around the year.
You've done a lot of work @n_sharma50 . Great stuff. The area immediately around the pine will be tricky, unless it's getting enough moisture on a regular basis. What aspect is the bed? You could possibly put a small barrier to each side of the pine too, which will keep the other areas separate, and any goodness you add won't get so easily pulled into the 'pine' area. It'll still soak up a lot of moisture though, so some basic ground cover around it will be best. That can be little plants like Arabis or Aubretia if it's quite sunny, or things like Saxifrages and Ajuga if it's shadier. They don't need a great depth of soil to thrive either. As to the rest, it's worth adding plenty of organic matter to get it in good heart before you plant. There will be lots of shrubs and perennials which will do well, depending on the aspect and the general conditions. If you want easy ones, things like Potentillas and Spireas are good, and happy in sun or shade. Various types and colours of both. Hardy geraniums are always a good stand by as well, and come in a range of colours. All easy to manage. You might want to have a bit of height to break up any more rounded, shrubby shapes, but that will depend on conditions as to what suits. Some will want lots of sun, and some are great for shade. There isn't a great depth of bed there so it'll come down to positioning too
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
If you have dry weather forecast for the next few weeks, it would save you loads of time if you invested in a sprinkler (rectangle pattern for a rectangular lawn) to keep it watered until it's established. Getting enough water on it with a hose must take hours.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
Posts
Re the cost, I suspect the designers cost is based on everything being done at once, by contractors and an assumed price point for materials, all plants purchased together etc.
As you have a plan, you could easily ask builders for quotes or cost up the materials yourself. Gardens are no different to kitchens, the same design could cost £5000 or £25000 depending on your choice of materials, equipment and whether you are paying for someone else’s labour or doing some/all of it yourself.
Many of us on the forum have developed our gardens over a number of years, when you’ve done that and maybe inherited your hard-landscaping ready done, it’s easy to under-estimate how much landscaping can cost.
East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
we designed it ourselves and did most of the work ourselves. We did it gradually ourselves and a year later are facing the last few parts. It’s slower than just getting a designer and having it all done in one go but it’s a lot cheaper and has been way more fun.
The designer was indeed all in and would have been excellent but too much money. I may just browse their website and get some ideas.
I want to have low maintenance low bushes shrubs etc. which can provide a nice dose of color all around the year.
What would you recommend.
The area immediately around the pine will be tricky, unless it's getting enough moisture on a regular basis. What aspect is the bed?
You could possibly put a small barrier to each side of the pine too, which will keep the other areas separate, and any goodness you add won't get so easily pulled into the 'pine' area. It'll still soak up a lot of moisture though, so some basic ground cover around it will be best. That can be little plants like Arabis or Aubretia if it's quite sunny, or things like Saxifrages and Ajuga if it's shadier. They don't need a great depth of soil to thrive either.
As to the rest, it's worth adding plenty of organic matter to get it in good heart before you plant. There will be lots of shrubs and perennials which will do well, depending on the aspect and the general conditions. If you want easy ones, things like Potentillas and Spireas are good, and happy in sun or shade. Various types and colours of both. Hardy geraniums are always a good stand by as well, and come in a range of colours. All easy to manage.
You might want to have a bit of height to break up any more rounded, shrubby shapes, but that will depend on conditions as to what suits. Some will want lots of sun, and some are great for shade. There isn't a great depth of bed there so it'll come down to positioning too
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...