I've inherited an Overgrown Garden...PLEASE HELP!!
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7 years ago
We've recently bought a property with a large garden. Both front and back have been let go for quite a few years and I'm wondering how and where to start. I am focusing on the front garden as this is the entrance to the house and the bit everyone sees. You will be able to see from the pics in the centre of the border is a beautiful maple tree, surrounding by rhodedenrons. Unfortunately there is a lot of undergrowth which has entagled itself, and when I'm stripping out its leaving bare straggly branches...! How ever will i be able to make this look nice, and keep the large established plants??
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Garden advice please
Comments (34)Hi I would put a planted green screen of a nice flowering hedge which also has berries in the winter like Berberis. It will give you privacy and its not totally solid as a fence or wall would be and will give a much softer look. It also gives security as it has small prickly barbs You say your window sills are too narrow to take window boxes so why not put a nice long wrought iron planter under the full width of the window, attach to the wall, (It looks like the windows are quite low) or if not put a free standing planter under the window. I would not get rid of the front lawn and just have concrete slabs as you already have all the drive paved, it will just look like to much concrete and harsh unless you add some plants or create maybe a circular flower bed Too much concrete prevents good drainage too Adding a porch would be a great idea, perhaps just glass which will give a modern contemporary feel Also once you have changed that paint colour it will look a lot better...See MoreGarden ideas please!
Comments (51)Hi there 81bec. I'm not sure if you've gotten started on the chances to your patch of garden, but if you haven't here are some tips, from someone who also loves low maintenance gardens that are drought proof but look gorgeous all year round..start buy getting rid of the camellia, what ever evergreen is hiding behind it and the red robin..leaving the one plant you actually seem to like, the Cordyline (good choice). Rake away all the gravel and lay down some good compost (after planting, layer over with mulch as it'll stop weeds and retain moisture, resulting in a lower maintenance garden). Next, put a piece of trellis against the side of the porch that currently has the camellia and evergreen and plant a Trachelospermum Jasminoides (Star Jasmine)-it's evergreen, a climber, low maintenance and has dark green leaves in summer with clusters of strongly fragrant white star-shaped flowers and rusty red leaves in winter, lovely. Next, plant a mix of Pennisetum Firework grass and Ox-eye daisies (sometimes called Marguerite) at the back near the wall. In the middle "row" plant a mix of Stipa Tenuissima (Mexican Feather Grass) and Echinacea (purple coneflower) and in the front, maybe either side of a wooden love seat, plant Chasmanthium Latifolium (Spangle grass). All are showstoppers year round, low maintenance, drought proof and do well in sun or semi-shade. The grasses all need the same kind of care once a year, as do the flowers, meaning you only have to do maintenance twice in a year as well as a little watering when it's really dry in exchange for year round interest and beauty that will perfectly compliment the Cordyline. Hope this was helpful. If you have any question on maintenance of any of those plants I'll be happy to help....See MoreWhat are your house rules for pets?
Comments (62)@Christa Taylor. Most aggression in dogs tends to be fear based. She is basically telling everyone to go away. Have you had her all her life? There is a crucial socialisation period where a puppy needs to meet all sorts of people and other animals so that she gets used to them. However, some dogs are still fearful despite this socialisation and it is part of their inherited personality. How old is your grandson? If he is older, he could try feeding her tasty snacks so that she gets used to him and sees him as less of a threat. He needs to wait for her to approach, never the other way round. He mustn't try to stroke or pick her up as he could get bitten. Now i could suggest a Dog Behaviourist, but there are so many charlatans out there as it is un-regulated so tread carefully. Your little Chi probably won’t change, but you can manage her safely with help, I do know of a very good Behaviourist in Herts who also carries out Consultations for Wood Green Animal Shelter in Cambs if you want her details?...See MoreFloor plan opinions please.
Comments (19)In both the plans it assumes the garage is newly built so we can play with the size as we need to some extent. At 4m wide it’s wider than a standard single at least so I was thinking 5 x 4 would satisfy a lot of peoples desire for a ‘garage space’ - although you won’t get a car in granted. I think in my original post we were going to build around the existing 6m garage. That is still likely to be the case initially. We need the upstairs more urgently and realistically only have budget for that short term. That will be supported over the existing garage on ‘stilts’ - so the Garage foundation won’t be carrying extra load. However we want to design and plan the ‘end state’ so we only have to do one round of planning and also so that any supporting posts are designed into the downstairs layout already. Hence we are designing it all now. This is clearly not ideal in building terms but that’s where we’re at budget wise - bedrooms are the priority. We can also find out how short our budget is for the full scheme. In truth you are correct we will never use the garage for a car - it will be utility, storage and maybe even a bit of gym equipment. However I think the house looks better balanced by having garage doors. We did something similar in our old house and had part glazed wooden doors on what ended up being a utility room. The doors let in light and also make it easy to get larger objects in/out. We’d would likely add tiled flooring and a heat source too so it’s kind of a room with garage doors. Hopefully that combo would satisfy most people who would use a garage similarly. A car port could be an option - although we’d lose the front garden which is a nice feature and adds curb appeal. We’ll certainly canvass a few agents for their thoughts before we make the final choice. Thanks again....See More
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7 years agoUser
7 years agoUser
7 years agoThanks for all the replies. It really helps! We've made a small start on the stone edging....it makes a great improvement and really defines the edge. The whole area is smothered in ivy...how do we get rid of this? We have also uncovered a beautiful curved wall underneath...so cant wait to make a feature of this too!
PROMidori Gardens
7 years agoUser
7 years ago
We've got this far. Does it look any good? Need some encouragement and inspiration to keep going? Should I plant some aubrieta above the rocks to add some colour...or something else? We are going to terram the mud area and cover with bark to keep the weeds down. Soon the rhodedendrums will be out in flower so will look better hopefully! Further ideas would be greatly welcomed and appreciated.
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7 years agoerrai
7 years agomudsi
7 years agoamanda stewart
7 years agoUser
6 years agoGarden is starting to look vastly improved now....1 year and 1 month after moving in. Does anyone have any suggestions for shrubs to plant behind the maple tree??
Carolina
6 years agoCarolina
6 years agoEmily
6 years ago
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6 years agoE D
6 years agoUser
6 years agoCarolina
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