We've done this twice now. The first time was a plot of almost 2 acres of lumpy, bumpy, poorly drained ground so, after finishing the first major works to make the house livable we got in a local man with a bulldozer. He took out 2 old willows which were planted to suck up water, dug out a large, unlined pond for drainage and scooped the rest of the earth smooth for us.
I then laid out the main bed and a large lawn area and sowed grass seed that spring and planted a wind break of assorted shrubs along the windy north west facing boundary at the back. Once they were estblished I planted a few trees, more shrubs, roses and clematis and loads of perennials and bulbs.
We got him back a couple of years later to scoop out and level the land behind the garage and kitchen end of the house and install vertcial railway sleeprs as a retaining wall. That became our fruit and veg plot.
As others have said you need to take time to get to know your seasons and weather and and soil. Work out where prevailing winds come from and how strong they can be in case you need more windbreaks than your current boudary holds. Find out if your soil os alkaline, neutral or acidic as that will determine what plants will thrive and which will fail.
Then you need to decide what features you'd like - safe play area, pond, wildlife garden, ornamentals, pergola, terrace, fire pit/BBQ area, fruits, veg etc and then you can start to sketch out what will go nearest the house and what can go further away and thus where paths will need to go and which can simply be mown thru the grass and which will need paving of some sort.
Take your time and enjoy the process. Do what you can as and when you can given the constraints of time and budget. Get you OH and kids involved too.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Start with the area close to the house then spread out until you feel you have all you can easily manage, then the rest can stay as grass. If it's windy then you will need fences and hedges. Look at The Old Vicarage, East Ruston, Norfolk and Breezy Knees. They were both windy.
Think of what you want from your garden, beds of perennials or shrubs or both, roses, vegetables, lawn, paths, play area fir the children, rubbish area, seating areas etc.
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
I agree great project. Remember if you need hedging, trees etc, bare root ones are much cheaper and , counter intuitively, smaller ones ( not too small) often establish faster and grow away quicker. Another good thing to do is buy one or two examples of plants and propagate from them, to make more, not only cheaper but you learn so much about the plants in the process. Good luck and keep us updated when you have time.
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I then laid out the main bed and a large lawn area and sowed grass seed that spring and planted a wind break of assorted shrubs along the windy north west facing boundary at the back. Once they were estblished I planted a few trees, more shrubs, roses and clematis and loads of perennials and bulbs.
We got him back a couple of years later to scoop out and level the land behind the garage and kitchen end of the house and install vertcial railway sleeprs as a retaining wall. That became our fruit and veg plot.
As others have said you need to take time to get to know your seasons and weather and and soil. Work out where prevailing winds come from and how strong they can be in case you need more windbreaks than your current boudary holds. Find out if your soil os alkaline, neutral or acidic as that will determine what plants will thrive and which will fail.
Then you need to decide what features you'd like - safe play area, pond, wildlife garden, ornamentals, pergola, terrace, fire pit/BBQ area, fruits, veg etc and then you can start to sketch out what will go nearest the house and what can go further away and thus where paths will need to go and which can simply be mown thru the grass and which will need paving of some sort.
Take your time and enjoy the process. Do what you can as and when you can given the constraints of time and budget. Get you OH and kids involved too.
Start with the area close to the house then spread out until you feel you have all you can easily manage, then the rest can stay as grass. If it's windy then you will need fences and hedges. Look at The Old Vicarage, East Ruston, Norfolk and Breezy Knees. They were both windy.
Think of what you want from your garden, beds of perennials or shrubs or both, roses, vegetables, lawn, paths, play area fir the children, rubbish area, seating areas etc.
Good luck, an exciting project but pace yourself, that's at least a ten year project I would think, if not more. Enjoy the process.
Good luck and keep us updated when you have time.