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Spruce up this drab concrete garden!
rafie.queens
Posts: 2
Hello
We are about to move house, we are moving so that my dog has a garden but unfortunately the one we found has a very boring, drab, ugly one with no grass. I am on a very tight budget but I would love to spruce it up asap while we still have this weather! I would ideally like some plants, maybe even vegetables or herbs but I have no clue about gardening and I'm not sure if it would be possible. I need somewhere for my dog to do her business, maybe some wood chip or something? The fences are also very low which is not great for keeping the dog contained or privacy, so I would like some ideas about what I could do about that. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
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well the paving slabs can be lifted and stuff planted in their place, you've effectively got a blank canvas to start with.
i'd start with climbers on that wall with a section of fence added to the top for privacy (take out the concrete see thru blocks)
is the dividing fence yours, your neighbours or shared? if its yours I would consider getting a higher posts and panels, see how the posts are put into the ground, if they're in metposts then that makes replacing it easy and you can use the timber for re-used raised beds.
I would look at where services run (I can see a drain cover near the house) as you don't want to plant a tree near any drains
I would get some height into the garden using shrubs and small trees
don't automatically put in a lawn, but be aware that anywhere the dog fouls with either liquid or solid need to have access to soil underneath (don't put impermeable plastic underneath the smell will be appalling!)
That garden has loads of potential. You can lift random slabs and plant shrubs and herbs in the squares. You can grow climbers up the wall and fence, and they can be housed in huge pots of you don't feel like removing the hard standing. I'm afraid I can't give any advice on keeping a dog in such a garden but it should be possible to fence off a space for your canine's needs, possibly at the far end of the plot which can be screened with something like honeysuckle or clematis.
Yep its a blank canvas and I agree with previous suggestions.. But it is very boxy and you need to soften the lines with a curved seating area maybe and Fire pits seem to have taken over from BBQ's.. As far as dogs go and grass.. Dog urine kills grass leaving large brown patches of dead grass... If you do needs to go,,,you can spray jeyes fluid after you remove the doggy do do and black sack it.. If you used bark chippings you cannot clean up and the smell will remain..
Also have a look on line for Dog loos.. Honest I'm serious.. Have a look...
Last edited: 20 July 2016 23:32:54
Hi all thanks so much for the many helpful comments! I will definitely be looking into them. I should have mentioned in the post that I don't own the property, just rent it so I don't think I will be allowed to take up any of the slabs...which is very limiting I know! Any way I can create a nice garden with the slabs still there?
Last edited: 21 July 2016 12:48:53
If it's rented you will likely be restricted to what you can do by the landlord.
How about planters - pots and troughs? That way you wont make any material changes to the property, you can move them around to give variation and you can take them with you when you leave.
You could also try some kind of outdoor rug or section of artificial grass to soften the concrete.
Last edited: 21 July 2016 13:14:36
It'll be a case of using pots and troughs if the flags have to stay. For a garden effect, get large containers and plant several things in each, then group them together for maximum effect. Fill the containers with a half-half mixture of something like John Innes 2 or 3 and and something fibrous, similar to growbags. Choose some plants for height and shape to give you some structure, then add whatever you fancy for colour, scent etc.. Most plants will be happy together, but remember to group acid-loving plants in their own container with acid compost. And have fun
Last edited: 21 July 2016 13:15:53
Just remember that you will have to water everything on a regular basis so don't get more containers than you can be bothered to look after. Better to have three fabulous planters than ten dead things.
bamboo screening attached to the fence will increase the height and reduce chances of your dog doing a Houdini, if you want pots try and make them as large as you can,
you can also talk to your landlord, some can be quite accommodating, as a nice low maintenance garden can increase the rental/resale value of properties (just make sure that they won't raise it while you're there!)
Well renting depends whether it is a stop gap before attempting to buy or it is a way of lije.
My parents rented all their life and did all kind of things in their garden which was a council house. But private landlords usually have a clause about keeping the garden tidy etc.
I have a jungle either side of my propety and its a nightmare, one rents and the other is very elderly and unfit to garden.. Yep containers are the way to go.. Hanging baskets too..
Last edited: 25 July 2016 10:19:13