Greening the grey: How to tackle the front garden of flats?
Natbat
Posts: 62
Hi all, I bought my flat just over a year ago and have been slowly buying furniture and doing basic DIY.... whilst spending the bulk of my money on the back garden of cause! It has been so exciting to have my own green space.
I got so carried away in fact, by having the green space that I went and signed up for an allotment, complete with large polytunnel frame.
I have been so excited about the back garden I have neglected the front. I can find loads of pictures of lovely front gardens but none which match the more block of flats feel of my block!
I hope my description make sense, I can draw out the space if easier?
I am part of a row of four terrace 'houses' split into two purpose built flats. Each of the upper flats have in their lease the strip of paving leading to their front door, with the lower flats, such as mine, having the front garden on their lease. The lease actually shows the front gardens separated by a wall between the houses, with paving leading from the front door up through the wall. This would mean that only I would have access to the front garden. My solicitor confirmed that I could partition off the front garden to create this privacy as it is clear in the lease. In reality there are no walls between the houses and I have to walk round the corner to the upper flats entrance. This means neighbours to my left walk through my front garden to save time walking through their own entrance, as a short cut, and there is no privacy. I hate to be the neighbour that moans, but loads of rubbish gets dropped in my garden, my flowers picked, and the crocus I planted in the grass were trampled by next doors kids. I feel that if I want to take advantage of the afternoon sun my front garden gets and which my back garden lacks I will need to create privacy.
I would like to explore ways to return this privacy, but don't want it to look odd against the other flats. This rules out sticking up fence in the front garden, and I feel that my only option is to check with the freeholder and build a low wall to divide the gardens and knock through an entrance way. This is doable, but might be a bit outside my budget, as this is somewhere I plan to live for only 4+ more years, so I am coming to you for some ideas of ways to create cheaper divides and privacy through planting. Please help!
Back garden before.
Back garden 6 months later.
How my front garden looks today.
More detail of the front garden.
Another view of the front garden.
Posts
tough one as you don't want to upset anyone, However I have seen some Older flats where I live and one has indeed put up a fence around the property. It did not look out of place.at the end of the day if the lease allows this then you are within your rights
Like the back garden
Regards
Jolly G
Hi Jolly G, thank you for your reply. Perhaps I can look for a lower level fence, either way I will let the neighbours know before I do anything too much.
Thanks, this year it was mostly seeing what plants came up and putting some basic veg and bulbs in to fill the gaps, I have some more filler plants this year so I'm hoping the garden will get better and better
always feel like I have a lot to learn!
Only one way to solve wandering neighbours. Berberis. Works every time.
So does pyracantha!!
Love the look of the berberis! I think this could be the cure. I'm going to price up the cost of some fencing and some plans for edging and face the neighbours early summer. I would really like to grow some veg in the sunnier spots. Already had a few handfuls of my dafs picked by the neighbour this weekend so I might need all the plants on your list Aym280!
How about something like this? Cheap and cheerful.
http://www.buyfencingdirect.co.uk/garden-fencing/fence-panels/heavy-duty-pressure-treated-pale-panel-09m?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=product_ads&gclid=CjwKEAiA3aW2BRCD_cOo5oCFuUMSJADiIMILzN1ztgDhzzo5it4dY56pEWGpfGTgDzIZbwmn9_fkkhoCJnrw_wcB
First thing to do is to check that you are actually allowed to plant anything at the front of the flat. If the common areas are centrally maintained you may not be able to.