skip to main content

Ideas and London gardening contacts welcomed!

8 years ago

My garden. Zen garden, low maintenance wanted!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (3)

PRO
Sort Our Stuff
8 years ago
By zen do you mean minimal?
Jo DP
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
What a wonderful space & blank canvas. I would have to blur the space with planting, adding height, so one doesn't see everything at once & go profuse..think urban jungle. Sorry i don't have a "Zen" bone in my body. Looking forward to reading the ideas as long as they don't have the obligatory Buddha.
Related Discussions
Interior design ideas required on old 1920s house in London
Q
Comments (14)
The fireplaces in the bedrooms are decorative. Living room is a real open fire and the study (with the wooden fireplace surround) has been converted to gas. We were lucky to acquire three of the fireplaces from the house directly across the road. They cost £500 which I thought was a bargain until I realised they would cost me £2,500 to restore them! The wooden surround was in the house when we bought it and we had to buy the cast iron insert. The surround is actually mahogany, I'm not actually that keen on it but couldn't bring myself to rip it out! I would get to know the neighbours and see what original features they have in their houses. Be careful with architectural salvage, for example salvaged doors if you need them have often been dipped in acid and the glue joints tend to fail after a while. We employed a conservation architect to restore the house and I felt his design was one which would stand the test of time. We had folding doors in our last house. These timber doors are bespoke made and look/feel quality. Just a bit more sophisticated.
...See More
Help me design my London garden!
Q
Comments (14)
I would agree with pannacotta and take out the blue spruce. I would then get someone in to take everything out - the shed, the pond, the narrow path, the lawn, the odd sleeper demarcation across the garden and the gravel. You will then have a clearer picture of your space. With the conifer removed there will be a large space at the far end of the garden, and it will no longer suck the water from the garden. Perhaps include some pleached hornbeam trees on the right and at the far end to make the garden feel more private, yet allow filtered light in to your garden. You have a wall at the far end, which is a great feature. It looks like the entire garden is enclosed, which is great from a safety point of view for the children. A garden building/office is a great addition, but it can become a storage place. Before buying one, really way up the pros and cons of having one. I am designing a family garden at the moment with a garden office towards the rear, but the father works from home and really needs his own space - however, it will double up as a TV room/den for the kids at night. Work out the actual size of building you actually need, rather than just putting one in to fill the space. If the orientation is correct the right hand side gets most sun. I would, as suggested put pleached hornbeam trees along the run, and have a path to one side, along this run, perhaps with a dog-leg at the far end. The path would be in the sun most of the day and would stay clearer from moss, etc. You could incorporate an off-set pergola above a section of the path perhaps positioned towards the centre of the length of the path and climb evergreen clematis or hydrangea petiolaris - this will also assist with blocking out the building behind when seated lower and closer to the house. Perhaps split the garden then in to 3 zones: zone 1 close to the house becomes a paved seating/entertaining space; zone 2 is the centre of the garden, which would be the children's turfed play area, and then zone 3 at the far end either becomes a building or a hidden seated area for grown-ups with well-designed planting around it and a pergola attached to the wall to offer privacy and shade. You could even have a long table and benches for al-fresco dining, under a canopy of sweet smelling jasmine and roses. With good lighting, this space could be an enticing area. The Edwardian/Victorian façade of the house makes me think of a family cottage garden with a contemporary twist (with veggies and cut flowers grown together). Flowering shrubs, bulbs and perennials will help to soften the walls (but remember, the walls can be a great feature in themselves). This may sound like a lot of upkeep, but with the right choice of plants you only need to spend c. 1 hour a week to keep on top of things (a little more in the winter to tidy things up (but not too tidy, i.e. leave flower seedheads and grasses for winter interest)). But remember to keep planting close to the house low with the line of sight from indoors to outdoors, so that you can keep an eye on the children. This is a great space to have. Have fun and enjoy it.
...See More
Small urban garden spruce - ideas?
Q
Comments (1)
you could grow a climber on the bottom of your face of your house? I see the one above the window and perhaps you could continue that theme or maybe use a different plant and interweaving where the two plants meet. If you are going for the luscious look try useing larger waxy leaves, the bonus to waxy leaves is they are generally evergreen too so your garden won't look as twiggy in winter. Rhubarb grow very large leaves (though not waxy or evergreen) that take up lots of space and almost everybody likes a good crumble!
...See More
2 bed apt in central London or 4 bed town house in suburbs?
Q
Comments (39)
Moved from a lovely 2 bed flat in Ealing to a 3 bed Victorian mid terrace in Hitchin in North Herts on the train line into Kings Cross/Moorgate in 2011. I struggled to leave the city but our town is v lovely and unique for commuterville in that there is a lots on offer on our high street both for shopping and entertainment. That said, we've sold to move a little closer to a big city again. Moving 10 miles north of Brighton later this year. I love our house and the space but after 5 years I feel I need more than there is on offer here and once we leave this town, it's a 30 minute (usually more) drive minimum to get anywhere with more on offer. I'm a city girl through and through and though I can no longer afford to live in one, I need to be close to one. Space is great, but think of what you do with your spare time, though it's pretty fab for where we are, I feel I outgrew this town of 35,000 people in less than 5 years.
...See More
PRO
Patricia Tyrrell Living Landscapes
8 years ago
Looks like a garden space with character and lots of potential. It's hard to tell the aspect but Im guessing the wall on the left as you look out is south facing which would give sun at the end of the garden in the evening. So it would be a good idea to create an intimate space down there where you could catch the last rays. A stone or flag pathway meandering down to it with naturalistic planting of grasses and perennials, low maintenance and lots of colour!

Sponsored

More Discussions

Large sliding door or keep small French door and window

36

roof lantern location

6

Advice re updating a tiredbedroom please

6

Above garage extension to create primary suite

3

Room Layout - Help please!

0

United Kingdom

Tailor my experience with cookies

Houzz uses cookies and similar technologies to personalise my experience, serve me relevant content, and improve Houzz products and services. By clicking ‘Accept’ I agree to this, as further described in the Houzz Cookie Policy. I can reject non-essential cookies by clicking ‘Manage Preferences’.