Garden..need some privacy
Caroline Murphy
7 years ago
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Comments (18)
Caroline Murphy
7 years agoRelated Discussions
Back garden needs total makeover!
Comments (12)You need some earth to plant in. You could do it all in pots and planters but in the ground is better and less demanding on the maintenance front. You'll be removing the raised decking but may be replacing the pergola above it, shading the area probably too much for effective planting. Put something else such as seating or table and chairs there for now. The rest of the ground is currently covered in bricks and concrete apart from the barbeque area, which is decking. From what you've said that decking is in decent condition. So now we go to work. I'm setting this work out in sections as a DIY project which could be done stage by stage over any period of time, or periods of time with gaps between, that you choose. I would extend the period of my plan if progress is slow, speed it up if progress is better than anticipated. My plan would start with removing the weeds and dried out plants from the raised beds, both the brick walled and the wooden walled ones. They would be planted with what I want to put there after the soil had been seriously refreshed by mixing in a good amount of fresh compost. Something like three or four inches depth of compost mixed with the top four or five inches depth of soil in the raised bed. My next priority would be to create more growing space. To do that I would remove quite a lot of the bricks from the ground, clean them off as well as I could and store them for now. Some will probably break up, and those would be dumped. The good ones can be used as temporary access paths and pot stands, which will be moved around throughout the following stages. Lots of compost would be added to the newly revealed soil and that is where the next stage of planting would occur. The concrete next. We need to know how thick it is and that will be easy to see at the previous stage with a few bricks removed. Very thick? That's a tough job. Two inches thick? An inch? Less? The thinner the easier. A few whacks with a heavy hammer should break a thin layer up. If it is too thick for that you will need to hire somebody with the effective machinery for the job. I can't see the access in the pix so cannot guide you on what machinery. There is nothing broken up concrete can be used for so it has to go. The revealed earth needs to be revived in the same way as the rest was before planting takes place. We have ended up with bare earth, maybe some bricks left in the ground but otherwise just what we've planted and the loosely laid bricks. Where do you want your path now it's to become a more permanent feature? Don't forget access to the raised beds so you can tend the plants. Where do you want your potted plants? The path and the bases for the pots can now be made stable by putting the bricks back into the ground. I prefer them on their sides but that is up to you. Flat as they are now, on their sides, or a mixture, perhaps side on for the paving and flat as pot supports? I would experiment a little if I hadn't used bricks this way before. No way is right or wrong. It is all down to personal preference. Any bricks still in the ground from the beginning can now be either taken out and used in the plan or perhaps a few have happily ended up just where they're needed. So there is a way forward with very little spending involved. Seeds are mostly very cheap. Plants are cheaper than other materials, labour or professional services. You will swear a lot, sweat a lot and have lots of fun. You will also learn a great deal. If you do end up still feeling you need help you will understand exactly how to brief the professional you appoint....See MoreBack garden needs an overhaul...
Comments (12)If the patio area is currently a water trap you need to put drainage in whatever else you do. You also need to think about what is going to be required for the extension and what goes around it. There is very little point spending money now only to abandon what you do and have to spend entirely anew. The manhole near to the downpipe is an obvious target for a ground drainage pipe. Is that manhole going to move next year? If so, run the pipe to where it is going and bend it from there to where it is now, or use an elbow and an extra bit of pipe. At the other end you could simply have holes in the pipe. Or you could construct a French drain as a more permanent solution, which would cost not very much more at all. Is the base for the extension going to be raised so the floors are level? Or sunk to where the land level is outside the kitchen? If lowered, ensure your new drainage pipe will not be above the surface when that happens. If the whole ground area is to be lowered, say with steps to the current entrance, make you new drainage system deeper to accommodate your plan. As you are in Somerset and with only the seasons to add shadow, put the patio where you want it. Unless you really feel like sitting outside in winter. As a temporary covering, gravel, bark chip or woodchip would fit the bill for just a year. But as the current patio is raised so you can step straight out of your door, why remove it? Just take it up for long enough to get the drainage in then put it back. You have the materials in place and there will be less small bits to be trodden into the house. Wait for the extension and do a complete job of it then....See MoreGarden needs help
Comments (7)Here we are 🙂. Few rough sketches for you. Please bear in mind that they’re not to scale but just to give you some ideas (Hope you can read my squiggly writing). In all sketches I’ve increased the size of the hard landscaping outside the house as I think that’s where you’ll most appreciate it and made a separate sitting area on the top right to take advantage of evening sunshine. In the bottom sketch I’ve also included a pergola for height which may help from being overlooked by neighbours. Any other little features are there to just balance things out and could be anything like a garden bench or pond etc... and the hard landscaping could be any material you wish but if you want to use decking then I’d limit it to smaller areas as it’s notorious for being difficult to keep clean. Anyway hope this helps a little. Stay safe.x...See MoreWhat would you do? Garden needs love and help!
Comments (5)Hi honeyry. I don’t think it would look weird having the lawn on the left as it would be more central to the patio. Hope you don’t mind but I took the liberty of doing a quick sketch as well. It still uses the full length of the garden so should keep your footie fan happy 😊. What I do think is that you need more definition to your borders so using a lawn edger to keep grass encroaching on plants/shrubs/trees (see pics). This will keep plants healthy in the long run as they won’t be competing for nutrients. Also added a patio and shed in the top right NW corner. This might be a nice little sitting area in for a morning cuppa, the shed and the addition of some trellis would give you some privacy from the neighbours. Something like this wouldn’t need doing straight away as I’ve kept the basic layout with the path relatively unchanged. Did add a little extra in the way of a little semi circle of hard landscaping in front of the seps. This is just a transition between borders, lawn and patio and could be anything...paving, tiles, cobbles and so on. There are a plenty of plants that are suitable for your garden. The RHS website is a valuable resource when researching. Two that spring to mind which are virtually indestructible (great for stray footballs) are red valerian and buddleia. Both need hacking back to near ground level in late autumn and will grow like the clappers come spring. Be aware that red valerian (also grows well north facing) can be considered invasive in some parts as it self seeds prolifically and usually where you don’t want it like in the walls or in between paving slabs but it’s easy enough to pull out. For improving the lawn I’m sure there are plenty of tips and tutorials online. I myself have a dog that makes a right mess of the grass. I’ve recently purchased this stuff https://www.envii.co.uk/shop/neuturine/ but I’ve yet to test it so can’t vouch for it and its a little expensive for what it is. Supposed to to change the Ph of the soil so that urine doesn’t burn it (or something scientific like that 🙂). Just hope it works! Here‘s my sketch and pics. Red valerian Buddleia example of curvy border...See MoreCaroline Murphy
7 years agoThese are pictures of the side of the house
It's all a bit messy at the moment..hope to get my drive cleaned soon
Caroline Murphy
7 years ago
PROCaroline Murphy
7 years ago- PRO
Caroline Murphy
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoMarcin, I have seen a Rowlinson one some time ago but it appears to be discontinued- replaced with this one,
I can currently store two bins, one in front of the other and still open my garage door so I believe it's wide enough.
i also found this idea, http://www.fentonrobertsgardendesign.co.uk/single-post/2015/09/06/How-to-make-a-Bin-Store-with-a-Green-Roof-1
Caroline Murphy
7 years ago- PRO
Caroline Murphy
7 years ago
PROMatt Nichol Garden Design Ltd.
7 years agolast modified: 7 years ago
New Country House · More Info
Hi Caroline,Have you thought about a pleached hedge? It will give you instant vertical screening without taking up much space on your driveway. You could choose hornbeam or Photinia Red Robin and underplant with box or grasses.
Hope that helps!
Caroline Murphy thanked Matt Nichol Garden Design Ltd.Caroline Murphy
7 years agohi hi Matt, thanks for that suggestion. Have to say, I like the trees too, what are they?
The hedge would have to be quite high to screen my neighbours kitchen. This is my view as I walk out of my back door.
due to the sun position, all the sun comes from the left back (right in this pic) of the house so I have to be careful I don't block out that sun.
pannacotta
7 years ago
Jonathan