Need ideas to create contemporary look to my front garden
Comments (7)
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Need help with my front garden
Comments (7)I would be very concerned that water is seeping into the brickwork and maybe causing damp to the house, especially if the level of soil and water comes above the brick dpc you would certainly get rising damp. Unfortunately when so much concrete was put down many years ago no one seemed to stop and think where all the water would go and your land unfortunately slopes towards your bungalow, the concrete is literally ushering it in. I don't know how DIY friendly you are but you need to get that concrete up fast and perhaps install a soak away which is essentially just a big hole filled with rubble well away from the house to allow water to drain into then gradually soak away. Presumably also clay soil. Your obvious bet then would be flower beds, lawn, and where you need car space gravel so the rain can soak through. Best of luck! You probably need a similar big hole dug in the back garden, away from the house. You can hire a mini digger for about £100 a day which takes the pain out of this sort of job. Keep solid paving etc away from your property as much as possible, have flower borders so the water has somewhere to go, that is key. If you some slabs near to the house, don't put them right up to the house wall stuff lots of gravel in between the house wall and the paving, but wherever possible, just use gravel and soakaways....See MoreIdeas needed please to update the front of my 1970s house
Comments (11)Thank you Gina for the advice! I think it does have good lines - glad you think so too! I don't think our budget will extend to rendering the whole front of the house unfortunately. We will definitely be getting a new front door - and we are reluctant to paint the garage doors so will match the front door with them I think. I should have said the upstairs window will become a Juliet balcony. The cladding on the top dark area is the same as under the front window. We were thinking of replacing the cladding with more contemporary grey horizontal cladding but we're still left with the problem then of what to do with the brickwork ?!...See MoreHow can I add privacy to my corner garden on busy road? Ideas needed!
Comments (7)Do not despair, there is a lot you can do to make your garden more secluded with new fencing and clever planting. Is this your only garden? Can I ask whether there is any covenant preventing you from having a taller fence? If not, then can I suggest a 5’ solid fence all round, with a gate. Most dogs will easily jump over your current fence and I’m sure you want to keep your dog safe. If a solid fence is not allowed, then a tall picket fence will do the job, or add taller panels to your current fence as in the second pic. I think a pergola in one corner will give you some more privacy, and you can plant climbers on it for even more privacy (first pic). You can buy them as a flat pack or get a carpenter to make and build one for you. You can add comfy seating, and a doggy bed, under it so you can enjoy your garden on warm days. Now for the planting. I think tall shrubs will create a secret garden effect which will drown out traffic noise and visitor noise! Things like evergreens Viburnum tinus, Ceanothus, Photinia and Choisya ternata Sundance. They can be the bones of your garden. Then add shrubs that are deciduous but add colour in the spring and summer, things like Shrub Roses, Hibiscus, dwarf Lilac, Cotinus and Climbers like Clematis, Star Jasmine, Honeysuckle and climbing roses. These need a wall or trellis or an obelisk to climb up. I can see you have some planting already which is great. The final addition to the planting is perennial flowers and bulbs, but the planting above will create a cosy garden, if you don’t want more planting. Here’s a few pics to inspire you and hopefully reduce your despair! 😊...See MoreIdeas welcome for front garden raised bed
Comments (17)Sorry it’s a bit late, I’ve just seen this post. Adding to the above suggestions (I’m a lazy gardener) whatever you plant, to make an impact, create a pattern, just 2 types alternating, one taller than the other or mirror the design start at each end with a tall plant and work inwards to shorter ones or vice versa but paint the fence first. I’d keep it minimal too, plenty of space between the plants and add bark or gravel over weed suppression fabric. Trust me it saves loads of time over the year, we had a large shaded patch at the front of our house which we eventually (after 10 years of weeding ) replaced with 3 plants in the middle (holly and a hebe either side) and some bark surrounded by turf. 2 years on and I’ve only needed to pull out a small occasional weed....See More
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7 years agoI do like Sven's idea of the blue palm ( chamaerops Humilis cerifera ), but maybe not in a pot as they do get very large. It would have to go in place of the tree as they can reach heights of 3 m x 2m wide. However, it would look nice with your front door, but maybe in a stone circle. You can't really put honeysuckle ( lonicera ), in the borders unless it's against the fence and you run wires for it, but i think your fence is probably too low. Lilac in white and pink or mauve would be better Depending on variety again, they're prolific growers, but will cover a fence in no time and smell fabulous. I'd have a stone circle in the middle and then a curved bed at the front with some higher plants, foxgloves, Iris, Japanese Anemonies etc at the back for height, some giant double pink poppies, weigela, candytuft to break it all up and get some white in amongst the pinks, purples and blues. All would look lovely with grey stone and your front door. All of the pics are of my own plants, I'd like to take credit for our garden, but it's my wife's domain, she's passionate about her plants and loves Pink, white, blue, purple, mauve etc
Wigela
Eithne Mcilwaine thanked User
PROLace Landscapes
7 years agoYou have a very nice tree. I would suggest to complement it with 4 lines of yew hedges similar to the structure in the picture but taller and wider. Also you can play with the hedge heights and even shapes and trim them in staggered wave shapes like in Thames barrier park. Then what you will plant between the hedges can be to your preference from grasses, to roses, to hydrangeas complemented by spring and autumn bulbs.
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Bad Soden · More InfoEithne Mcilwaine thanked Lace Landscapes
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