Garden inspiration for small garden combined with driveway?
Hi,
Bought a house in January, and although I have some vision for the interior of my home, the outdoor space is driving me insane!!
It''s currently got a garage in a weird place taking up all of the garden, but we will be moving the garage to the side of the house to clear the garden space. I just don't know what to do with it though. I'm thinking a driveway where the gates are which will lead nicely to where the garage will be (and will be a god send for us), but I feel I need some privacy from the driveway to the garden with some shrubbery or plants (I don't want people from the street being able to see straight into our house when the gates are open) and I also want a seating area too in the garden, maybe in the far corner opposite our window???
Here is a rough plan of the space. It's a south-westerly facing garden and we are just off a main road so get a load of traffic noise so would be grand if anyone has any suggestions for more rustly plants to distract from traffic noise! I am not green fingered at all and I have no experience really to speak of with gardening so I would prefer things that don't require a lot of care and attention or a lot of thought i.e. having to dig out and replant.
Thanks for any tips!!
Comments (18)
- 8 years ago
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Comments (10)Here we go. Had a little play around but thought this might look good as it gives you multiple areas of seating and interest. I made the assumption that the entrance to the garden from the decking is on the LHS. So immediately below the decking as you walk in is a square section with what could be a statue or water feature. I think a water feature would be nice here as you’d be able to hear it from the decking as well. Then a fairly broad area of paving making the most of the views. After that is a planting area with big boulders as these feature a lot in Japanese gardens. Plants and boulders surrounded by grey slate chips to make it look like a river and a little cobble stream that runs under a bridge. Bridge then leads to a circular patio. I kept the steps to the bottom gate as they were as it seemed easier but feel free to alter things as you wish. Just for fun I added (or attempted to) a pergola. Anyway that’s my two penny’s worth:-), hope it gives you some inspiration. (click pics to enlarge)....See MoreSmall Garden Inspiration
Comments (8)Lovely. I would consider placing your seating area in the spot that gets the sun when you want to use it - so if you’re keen to have breakfast outside, just outside the doors would probably work. If you want evening sun for dinner/drinks, you’ll need to put it in a different spot. Or consider two different seating areas to capture the sun. The rest is a blank canvas and might depend on your circumstances- if you have children (slides give it away!) I’d just keep it largely as grass so they can play on it (the time will come when they don’t need that any more and you could then add more planting). You could bring colour into a collection of pots by the seating areas and some climbers on the fences. Pots can give you all round colour and scent, but remember to water them frequently. You could even have a small pond in a large bowl, which could be interesting for the children to be involved with and would attract some wildlife. Or if no/older kids, you could create a curving pathway with plants spilling softly onto it - a mix of shrubs, perennials and annuals would be lovely. Take a look at prairie planting styles. The possibilities are infinite and it’s worth first of all having a good think about how you want to use the space (and look at garden ideas on Houzz - there are some beautiful photos) before you rush into buying plants or doing any hard landscaping....See MoreFront garden/driveway - Design Dilemma
Comments (8)Looks like a good plan. Be aware that white travel doesn’t stay white for long. It can get grubby and becomes green after time. Box hedging is nice but in the last few years it has been prone to box blight and box moths which have devastated many plants. Not all areas are prone to them but thought you should know. Alternatives people are growing now is holly (a small leaved version) and Euonymous. Both are evergreen and can be grown as a hedge. Low maintenance plants you could grown are Cistus, a low growing Mediterranean plant that is evergreen with lovely white or pink flowers, Hardy Geranium Rozanne which has lovely blue flowers all summer long, Erigeron a low growing plant with lilac flowers all summer. These all prefer a sunny spot. Pics below are Cistus white and pink, and last pic is the Geranium Rozanne....See More- 8 years ago
- 8 years ago
8 years agoOkay, I'll see if I can come up with an idea and do a quick sketch. Any idea about the dimensions? Roughly?
Just a thought: if there's electricity running to the current garage, that could be useful for lighting the driveway and for garden lights and a water feature. Something with bubbling water will muffle the sound of traffic.
Pleached trees are nice for privacy. Ornamental grasses are great for rustling sound effects ;-)
- 8 years ago
8 years ago- 8 years ago
- 8 years ago
So, here goes: I've put in a 3.5 meter wide driveway. A wooden (or composite) deck outside the patio doors, leading to a patio (about 4 x 4 m). A water feature at the end of the patio. Wooden poles with a small distance between them on the top left of the patio to provide privacy from the road. Grasses and dense ground covering plants for easy maintenance. And some evergreen shrubs to give all year round green structure to the garden (the green circle shapes).
Pleached trees on the road side next to the gates. I'd put in a new fence where there is no brick wall.
I'll post the sketch in the next comment...
- 8 years ago
- 8 years ago
- 6 years ago
I need to resurrect this thread!
So 2 years on we've completed all of the downstairs internal work, and knocked down the garage. We spread some grass seed, and there is now a garden space where once sat the garage.
We did have a builder booked in for rebuilding the garage to the side of the house, and planned to add some decking where the patio doors are along the back of the house!/wall maybe, but now the builder has cancelled and is returning our cash, we're therefore reallocating funds to a much needed upstairs bathroom instead.
I wonder if there are any budget friendly suggestions and ideas to make an area that will hold gardening tools/provide cover for my partner to do his hobbies by the side of the house? It's a wall then huge hedge beyond that which is directly parallel with a footpath and road on the other side. I thought about a shed but would the hedge not be impossible to cut and would it rot quicker, plus would the roots die off? We need to keep the hedge or have some privacy from the road, but equally need a place to store and use the space at the side.
Thoughts?
Carolina