60 metres isn't a lot - are you coastal? In the north? It was a very mild winter here, so whereabouts are you - roughly?
You'd need to give more info on aspect etc so that suggestions are suitable. Trees and shrubs, or hedging are what you need as a shelter belt, but you need to accept that there will be casualties in the wind. A good hedge is the best solution, then go from there, and you can create viewpoints in that by cutting out sections along it
I think it was 60m when I googled it but might be wrong. We are pretty high up anyway. On the west coast of Scotland, can see the see from our house but our town isn’t right on the coast.
The back is very open, onto fields, so don’t want to take away the view, more add to it. I thought some hedging and trees would be nice and hopefully add some wind break. We have also build a garage up the back which I want to soften into the garden.
Thanks for the relpy.
I would add a photo but it looks like a building site at the moment.
We’re in a very windy spot. I inherited the hedge but I’m glad of it when the gusts come. We’re 55m above sea level and not much around to buffer the winds.
Have you considered a hedge?
Yeah I think hedging of some sort will be nice and help break the wind a little.
The north west coast is vastly different from something like the Ayrshire coast though, which is why I asked - the west coast is a very large area. Girvan isn't the same as Achiltibuie.
Again - it's quite difficult to suggest anything helpful without a photo. No one would mind if it's a mess just now, so don't worry about that. The more info you give, the easier it is to help. If it's the back garden, and the back of the property is facing east rather than west, that can make a difference too, because presumably the boundary then faces west. The bulk of the wind comes from the west
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
there are some other images at the start of the thread, from before the garage was built.
I actually feel totally overwhelmed which where to even start. Would I start with the hanging and planting any small trees first? Then work on the patio areas and finally grass and beds? It’s a mess just now with rubble and stuff everywhere from the building work. We also have about another 4/5 feet behind the back fence where the oil tank is.
The ground is super uneven and I don’t no whether to try to level that out or just leave it?
I would create another patio area at the right hand side about the middle cause that bit gets the sun all day.
Sorry. Very ramblely but completely overwhelmed with it. Would love to have it less of a mess and more usable for the summer, then do a bit to it each year.
I'm sorry to hear you are feeling confused and overwhelmed by the project. Are you on a deadline? General advice often says to start with your boundaries. Work out your exact aspect (which way the garden faces), how the sun moved through it during the day and through the year. Talk to neighbours about soil types, local problems and usual wind direction through the year.
Shorter trees can be good for offering privacy and cutting wind, without cutting out light too much. Take it gently, breaking the project into sections; maybe
The first step is to work out what you want - you've already said you want a patio, what about shed, washing line, compost bin, that sort of thing? Then look where you want or need paths, then lawn area and beds/borders. Generous borders almost always end up looking better than skinny thin ones even though the amount of space to plant might seem daunting. If you can post a few recent pics people will offer suggestions for layouts.
Then get the hard landscaping done, particularly if you're having someone in to do it. If you plant/lay lawn it could all get trashed by builders' feet. Then lay out where you want the beds and lawn, remove all the rubble and rubbish, improve the soil if necessary, sort out levels if you want to (plants don't mind slopes so it really comes down to what you want). If you initially have a bigger lawn area than you think you'll eventually need, it's not at all difficult to take some up to make beds/borders bigger when you want more space for plants.
It sounds like a long haul before you even get to planting, but you can plan what you want, browse online/garden centres and decide what you like, research what will suit your conditions (you can always ask on here), and maybe have some colourful potted plants near the house to enjoy.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
It's as @JennyJ says. Work out your needs first, and pick the best locations for those. Hard landscaping is always the first task to get done. Once you've got that in place, then think about any planting decisions. If you want an area of grass, you can tackle that after the patios etc - levelling out the area, then re sowing or turfing. The prep is important if you want a decent surface. Definitely a shelter belt of hedging/shrubs etc. You can create gaps which means you keep the views, but for other plants to thrive, that's quite important. As I said before - the west coast is a vast and very, very variable part of Scotland. While it can be excellent for many plants, it's also the direction the bulk of the weather comes from, and it makes a huge difference if you're in the southern part [Ayrshire and south] compared to further north [Oban, Fort Bill and northwards to Ullapool and beyond] regardless of any altitude. If you're not right on the coast, it's a bit easier in terms of shielding from the wind/rain/snow, but I'm also guessing your back garden is facing inland rather than the coast. That's the kind of thing that helps with suitable suggestions. What direction are you facing when taking the photos? You general location will help enormously
I don't think your site looks that bad - I've seen much worse as a starting point!
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Posts
Need more relevant info though
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Again - it's quite difficult to suggest anything helpful without a photo. No one would mind if it's a mess just now, so don't worry about that. The more info you give, the easier it is to help.
If it's the back garden, and the back of the property is facing east rather than west, that can make a difference too, because presumably the boundary then faces west. The bulk of the wind comes from the west
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
We also have about another 4/5 feet behind the back fence where the oil tank is.
Hard landscaping is always the first task to get done. Once you've got that in place, then think about any planting decisions.
If you want an area of grass, you can tackle that after the patios etc - levelling out the area, then re sowing or turfing. The prep is important if you want a decent surface.
Definitely a shelter belt of hedging/shrubs etc. You can create gaps which means you keep the views, but for other plants to thrive, that's quite important.
As I said before - the west coast is a vast and very, very variable part of Scotland. While it can be excellent for many plants, it's also the direction the bulk of the weather comes from, and it makes a huge difference if you're in the southern part [Ayrshire and south] compared to further north [Oban, Fort Bill and northwards to Ullapool and beyond] regardless of any altitude.
If you're not right on the coast, it's a bit easier in terms of shielding from the wind/rain/snow, but I'm also guessing your back garden is facing inland rather than the coast. That's the kind of thing that helps with suitable suggestions. What direction are you facing when taking the photos? You general location will help enormously
I don't think your site looks that bad - I've seen much worse as a starting point!
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...