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Design Dilemma Before & After Gardens

Garden Design Blank Canvass

alisonmeachem52

6 years ago

Hello

as you can see from the picture patio nearly finished and the top garden being cleared . I now need to plan the planting scheme and structure and really need some assistance... Its a blank canvass there will be a shed at top right ?? Look forward to hearing any suggestions you all may have ....

Featured Answer

Emily O'Byrne

6 years ago

Don’t put in a rockery, they need too much maintenance

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Comments (9)

Emily
6 years ago
You’re patio has a nice “sunken garden” vibe about it which I like.
I think the first thing is to work out what you want your garden to do for you. You’ve said you want a shed but do you want to eat outside or barbecue? And how much time do you want to spend gardening? What direction does it face? And then I’d go through some of the garden idea books on here and also search some terms like “sunken garden” and see what photos come up. When I do that it always leads me into other ideas that I wouldn’t have necessarily thought of on my own.
alisonmeachem52
Original Author
6 years ago
Hi Emily thank you for your feedback...My main seating areas and barbecuing will be on the patio and a second area for sun loungers just left of the tree on the grass...above the steps. I am not much of a gardener so ned sit to look after itself .. I am wanting bamboos in the 2 borders either side of the patio...but I do feel the top garden being so huge needs dividing somehow... perhaps even a tree planting in the middle.I want lush borders which need little maintenance. ...I will do as you say and do some more research . Thank you again.

Alison
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Hi Amanda you have a big enough garden to rearrange everything,what about putting the shed on the right hand side of the lounge patio door side as you can get a shed made to fit or have some one build one for that space for bikes and tools etc. You could have a lovely size patio going from the kitchen straight across and leading to the lounge area, A patio path leading down to the lower part of the garden with areas to sit and have a canopy for the kids to play under made from timber or metal which are reasonable to buy as a kit form. You could have some raised beds plus a planting area or rock feature you could have a wall with a water feature it all depends on your budget. I am at home tomorrow i will try and spend an hour and do a quick 3d design for you to give you more ideas Kind regards dean.
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Hi Tiago Silva I would think of ways of breaking the space looking down the garden with planting - currently you look straight down it with nothing of interest and to break up what you are seeing. It would be great when you have the hot tub etc at the bottom for it to be partly hidden by planting and foliage. Create what I call 'transparent height' - planting that blocks your view quite a bit, but still has gaps through it where you can see exciting and tantalizing hints of things further down the garden. Stories, journeys and a bit of mystery all make for a great garden and it would also create the 'two' garden areas/rooms feel that Emily suggests. Don't be afraid of wide (0.5 - 1.0m+) curving beds - most people run small thin beds down the side which look boring and don't have enough space for the plants to grow properly. Having larger beds also means there are loads of low maintenance shrubs you can plant that you can leave just to grow, instead of having to cut them back all the time to keep them to their space. Take a look at this Houzz story - it really demonstrates what I mean as regards the design, although you would use more low maintenance shrubs. https://www.houzz.co.uk/magazine/garden-tour-clever-curves-bring-beauty-to-a-modest-outdoor-space-stsetivw-vs~84375480
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Hi there, Your idea for your seating area location looks good if you would like to sit in a sunny area (taking your garden aspect into account). A pergola with retractable roof could also work well. A shade sail is a less bulky alternative that could provide you with some shelter from drizzle and light rain as well. I didnt really understand what you meant by "the 2X2 space" where you want to have a shed or utility features? Is it the space by the side of what will be your utility room or in front of it? I agree with Christine. You don't necessarily need to have lawn in your garden. Wide planting beds with a well thought of and placed planting scheme that takes your garden conditions and aesthetic principles into account could potentially add more interest than a lawn with narrow borders on the sides (could also potentially make your garden look wider if the shapes of the borders are chosen correctly). Wide borders combined with a path of some kind could also create a journey through your garden, and again, with well chosen forms, make your garden feel bigger. If you are interested in getting professional help at any point, I would be very happy to help! I offer a range of garden design services - from sketches and planting plans only to full on Garden Plans with planting plans and 3D visuals which are all done online (usually cheaper than in person services). Please do not hesitate to have a look at my website to find out more and get in touch! Deborah The Rooted Concept Garden Designs
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rachelmidlands
6 years ago
Agree with Emily and take some time to gather ideas. A lush garden sounds lovely. This article had some nice ideas for planting https://www.houzz.co.uk/magazine/garden-tour-a-stunning-tropical-garden-before-and-after-stsetivw-vs~88336690 Be careful when choosing bamboo and get a non invasive or clumping variety, the spreading ones are ok in a container but can run amok if planted in the ground. I’d add a mix of plants which are easy maintenance, evergreen ornamental grasses, fatsia japonica, ferns, hostas, crocosmia...to name just a few.
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Lithic CIC
6 years ago
A natural stone fire pit with suitable seating can make a real difference to a space like this. Either with permanent built structure or outdoor seating as in this photo. Perhaps make use of the wall of the sunken area?
InterestingInteriors
6 years ago
A rockery could look really nice if it was in the right position
Ellie
6 years ago
I would avoid a rockery too, we have one and we dig it over every few months thinking we are getting all the roots out...... and all the grass/weeds come back. Our rockery edges a lawn though which doesnt help of course!
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Georgia Lindsay Garden Design
6 years ago
Some good advice from Rachel above. Bamboo is wonderfully lush and creates a tropical wall of green but be very careful if you plan to plant directly into the ground. The roots will travel horizontally and pop up wherever they fancy ending up in neighbours gardens who won't be best pleased. If you do want to plant bamboo make sure its in large containers and feed it seaweed fertiliser to get it going and create the lush abundant foliage. It will also need plenty of regular water especially if its in a container. Once your shed is positioned in the right hand corner of your garden you could think about softening the side with planting. attach a trellis and grow a climbing clematis to blur the lines. Good luck and happy planting!
Lena
6 years ago
When we started doing our garden (it was landscaped, but in a pretty bad state), books by Tim Newbury were a tremendous help
Small Garden Design Bible https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0600616495/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_5IstAbJJ2EJ2C

I started with the one above, but he wrote a few, all of them very good, with easy to follow ideas and instructions.

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