New Garden - blank canvas - ideas
aeatwell83
9 years ago
Hello
I have just bought a new property with quite a small garden. It is completely devoid of any life and has simply had 5 tonnes of top soil dumped on it. There is a small patio on the right hand side but apart from that it is a blank canvas ready to be worked on.
I would like it to have a contemporary feel about it, with some lawn space for young children (not much!), perhaps a small pond and a shed. Apart from that I am open to suggestions. I would very much appreciate anyone's thoughts and ideas!
Many thanks,
Ed
I have just bought a new property with quite a small garden. It is completely devoid of any life and has simply had 5 tonnes of top soil dumped on it. There is a small patio on the right hand side but apart from that it is a blank canvas ready to be worked on.
I would like it to have a contemporary feel about it, with some lawn space for young children (not much!), perhaps a small pond and a shed. Apart from that I am open to suggestions. I would very much appreciate anyone's thoughts and ideas!
Many thanks,
Ed
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Blank canvas! Ideas please!
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Comments (7)Hi JC. I think the layout of the path will be quite important as well as deciding which plants to have. It looks like there is a lot of footfall on the lawn next to the patio so I think any path needs to start from here. Had you thought what material you’d like the path to be made out of? The size of the borders will depend on what plants you’d like to have, shrubs and trees will most likely need more space and can encroach on your lawn space. The suggestions above are all good tho and most of them are very hardy and tolerant of most soils. For privacy on the right fence I might go fo one main shrub, perhaps a Lilac and a tallish evergreen. If you get young specimens they’ll adapt to the soil better. In the meantime you could attach some trellis to the fence and grow some climbers such as the clematis Montana, honey suckle or star jasmine. I think the way to pick a planting plan is not to rush it but start with your star attractions first, the larger plants, shrubs or trees, look them up and find out their eventual height and spread. Then the rest you can fill in with the smaller things, like the perennials and bulbs. Be sure to check what conditions each plant likes, sun/shade etc. I bought this plant yesterday at a plant fair, Sambucas nigra ‘black lace’. It can grow very large but can be hacked back quite vigorously with little effect and is very hardy. Good job really as my garden isn’t huge and it’s staying in a container:-) Good luck with your garden, it’s a lovely space....See MoreIdeas or advice on a blank canvas bungalow
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Comments (5)Hi, to me it seems that you have a bit of a patio overkill. You need to know where you want the shaded dining area, a sunny patio area, maybe somewhere where you can enjoy a morning coffee in the sun or get the last sunrays on a summer evening. That all depends on how your garden is situated. Do you want to grow vegetables, do you want to spend time attending to flowerbeds (if you do them well, they aren't that time-consuming)? You need to know the size of the garden and draw a rough plan of what you would like to have where. Think it might be a good idea to get a garden designer/landscaper on board. I'd want to remove the lower patio, replace it with grass and flowerbeds, and place the steps from the upper patio in the middle. I think that the quickest way of making the patio edge safer for your fearless toddler, is putting big planters all along the edge. If you decide to change the patio at a later date, you can always reuse the planters elsewhere in the garden. Some inspirational photos for you....See More
Sven
8 years agoI would start by staining all the fences the same. I suggest black as it accentuates plants. Does the patio get sun? If not I would move it to an area which does get sun.
May I also suggest raised beds like the below?
The above has the style that you want. The plants are hardy palms and Phormiums and are actually not that expensive.
aeatwell83 thanked Sven
aeatwell83
8 years ago
Emmeline Westin