Garden design help please - greenhouse and children's play area

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

We have been renovating our house and the next stage is the garden... As you can see it has laurel hedges down the sides and two sheds on a small patio area at the back with a path running across the back to the hedge with a small flower bed running behind all the disassembled climbing frame!. There is an apple tree on the right and a patio area directly out the back doors... We have children's things to accommodate - a climbing frame with slide and a double swing (these are in pieces at the end of the garden) and a playhouse (currently at the end) in the bottom left there is a soiled area that was previously a base for a greenhouse. We want to create a children's play area possibly with bark clippings and a grow your own area (8x6 greenhouse and a raised bed or beans area... As well as either replacing the e siting patio and creating a bigger patio area for table and chairs... Either in existing place or bottom left of garden? I automatically thought the children's things down the right around the apple tree and the growing area bottom left where the soil is... But I'm not sure ... Any ideas and inspiration would be much appreciated please as we want to get the growing area in particular off the ground asap, thank you

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Comments (2)

PRO
Mark Lane Designs
8 years ago
Hi Lisa Marie

What aspect is your garden - is it south, east, west or north facing?

What size is the garden?

Do you have a budget?

With a family garden, there are several things to consider:

1. play area in sight of patio and more importantly from windows, i.e. if you are inside and the kids are playing outside

2. making sure the play area is big enough and safe, while at the same time being pleasing on the eye

3. having enough storage for bikes, toys, etc

4. a good sized seating area for adults (afterall, a garden should be enjoyed by all)

5. privacy from neighbours
1. placing the play area in a bright spot, this will help to keep plastic and wood from greening up
2. shade for the kids and the adults on those hot sunny days
8. ensure you have safety glass on the greenhouse (at least on the side(s) facing the play area)

9. make sure the raised bed gets the sun for most of the day

10. good lighting so that the garden can be used when light levels drop

I would suggest measuring the site, and then get a blank piece of paper and try to draw the garden to scale - a ratio of 1:50 is a good way to start. Then have fun playing with the space. Try using cut outs of the greenhouse, the swing, the raised bed etc (this could be done as play time with the kids so they feel part of the decision making), and then move them around on the paper and see what works.

I hope this helps, but most of all have fun.

Mark
PRO
Phil Hirst Garden Design
8 years ago
@lisamarie1000 it looks like you've got quite a blank canvas to work with there but as well as giving lots of opportunities it can also be quite daunting if you don't know where to start.

As a starting point I would look at where the sun falls in the garden as this can be important for growing vegetables and the greenhouse which need to be in as much sun as possible.

Draw a plan to scale of the garden and use cut out shapes to represent the different areas (growing area, play area, sitting area etc.). You can place these on the plan and move them around until you get a layout that you are happy with. The size of the shapes needs to be big enough to represent what their use is. You can also base this on the dimensions of the house such as location of windows and doors.

Try to avoid pushing everything to the edges as this can just draw attention to the boundaries and make the space feel small.

Think about how you would move through the garden to get to the different areas. If you are going to have a path through, it will be more interesting if this isn't just a straight line down the middle. By making the route through have changes in direction you can add focal points (such as the apple tree) and make the garden seem bigger.

If space is tight consider growing vegetables mixed in with ornamental plants so that the garden doesn't look like an allotment.

Finally think about using screening with tall plants or trellis at various points so that you don't see the whole garden at once. This can also make the garden seem more interesting and enticing.
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Yes you’re right, the way they use the room will change over time. The kids don’t play together on their own yet but it won’t be long plus I like to vary the rooms they play in especially if we’re stuck inside for a longer amount of time. I don’t want to add sliding doors further down the line as it’s a bigger project and going to cost a fair bit anyway so I don’t want to do it twice especially the flooring. The hallway is going to be slate just like the kitchen but think that if we have it open to that area too then it’ll have to be slate as it would look a little odd with kardean through there. Thats a good idea re storage. We’re looking st getting built n cupboards but having all the small bits in baskets so they’re tidy. I also do a lot of work from home as im a teacher so need a bit of space for my things too
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There is no such thing as a no maintenance garden, but choosing trees and shrubs only will be less maintenance. Obviously grass will need cutting throughout the summer. I noticed through the broken fence that your neighbour has several trees and shrubs so that’s the sort of thing I mean. Some trees do become huge (50-100 ft) so make sure there are no buildings or paths nearby. Shrubs vary in size from small ones such as Hebe (about 2 ft high) to tall ones such as Viburnums which grow to about 10 ft high. Hedges such as box or privet are quite labour intensive as they do need trimming. Shrubs that are small and stay small would be a better idea - things like Euonymous, Hebe, Cistus and Lavender. The saying “Right Plant in the Right Spot” is so true. If the planting area is sunny, don’t put shade lovers there as they will shrivel up. Soil type is also important, a Rhododendron needs an acid soil and will never thrive is alkaline (chalky) soil. You can get cheap soil testers at any garden centre. I do think you can mix planting styles - I have all sorts in my garden! It looks a lovely big garden so I am rather jealous!
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Garden design help please - greenhouse and children's play area

Comments (2)

Mark Lane Designs

Phil Hirst Garden Design

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