What a transformation, Angie! 👌

Would love to see it matured as well.

Thanks E D, I’ll see what I can do. 😀☀️

WOW Angie what a transformation indeed and just the sort of inspiration we are looking for! We are also keen to incorporate curves in the lawn, just looking again for the courage to do it.

Thank you

Bob

Hi Bob. What a great space. I can maybe scribble a few ideas tomorrow. Gives me something to do ( I love planning gardens😊). I agree with Angie, dividing the space up can be really beneficial. My first thought it to have an orchard/ wildlife area at the bottom of the garden (something I dream of if my garden was big enough). Is this something you’d consider? Other thought was to put a tree somewhere left centre (see my great doodling😂). This would have the benefit of screening the neighbouring house from a perspective point of view.

Have you thought of hiring a garden designer? Some may be able to help remotely and can go through in more detail about your wishes, needs, budget etc.

Could you possibly post a photo from rear of garden looking towards the house, might help myself and others with ideas. You can add photos in comments.

Thought I’d add a pic of Monty Dons Orchard, doesn’t have to be this formal, I just liked the image:-)

Cool, Rachel. Can’t wait to see what you come up with.

And it’s not even my garden... 😊

Hi Rachel, thank you for your initial thoughts and yes it definitely needs something of height on the left certainly and probably on the right too. I’ll take some more pics tomorrow from the rear of the plot. Thank you again for your enthusiasm!

Regards

Bob

Hi Bob,
We had a similar situation to yourselves 3 years ago, when we started a garden from scratch (albeit a different shape).

My recommendation 3 years on is to actually pay a for a professional garden designer to draw up plans for you.

It’s the difference between having an amazing garden and thinking “I wish we’d had thought of that!” every time the sun comes out.

According to Houzz articles, it should cost about 10-15% of the overall budget and I’d say that would be very much worth it.

Good luck on the project.

Lol hi Oli, thank you for your honest opinion..it certainly feels like the way ahead at the moment!
I’m gonna sow the lawn and get that established, see where we are with ideas by then and then reassess.

Thanks

Bob

We could have a look at it for you in virtual reality if this is something you are interested in? We provide a full range of design services online so please feel free to get in in touch.

Best Regards

Joel Firth

That's not a garden Bob!

I suggest turf the whole thing, use white lines to "define" the different areas of the garden and buy two of these "garden features" for either end of the garden...

arc3d is cracking up under the lockdown pressure haha 😂😂😂

☝🏼🤣 That’s exactly how it feels at the moment and if it wasn’t funny I might just shed a tear at the prospect! What’s lockdown done to us?!

Hi Joel,

Thank you for your offer. I’m not ruling this out at all at this stage as I do understand the concept of everyone has their specialist subjects. Bizarrely I’ve turned my hand to plumbing, plastering and electrics but right now I really wish I had ‘green fingers’ and a particularly an eye for garden design!

Of course we have the time to ponder and pontificate at the moment but more importantly we are both literally ‘grounded’ and furloughed from work so have to consolidate our finances. Like everyone, whilst there is no future vision for when/how we get out of this situation we need to be thrifty!

Thank again though for your interest
Bob

E D, here are pictures of the garden this morning. I've tried to replicate the pictures I posted up thread. The Silver Birch is massively taller four years on. And the Cordyline has really grown. The bed on the right looks a bit sparse, but there's all sorts of things coming to life which will fill the space in a few weeks.
Originally we had two Smoke Bushes on the right with their gorgeous red leaves, but they got so big we had to take one out. It's now in a huge pot by the front door, so not wasted. 🙂
I'm not convinced by the yellow Broom, although it is a lovely colour. That replaced a lovely red Japanese Maple which didn't survive the first winter. 😥
We don't much like having the fence round the pond, but the heron is too hungry and as the fish are now large and would cost a vast amount to replace, we'll put up with it. 🙄
Angie

Wow Bob that is an amazing space! I especially love the old stone wall on the left which reminds me of the walls in classic walled kitchen gardens in stately homes. If that spot is sunny you could grow some fanned fruit trees from apples to figs to peaches. Then underplant with perennials such as Crocosmia, Hemerocallis and hardy Geraniums. I would try to keep the planting cottagey as the location just seems right for it. Paved areas would look lovely in natural sandstone, either slabs or sets which will marry so well with the landscape. I also love clay brick pavers, not cheap but again very naturalistic. You can either edge sandstone with them or create a patio with them, depending on the look you’re after.

Rachel is a genius with garden plans so really looking forward to seeing her ideas! I love Angie’s garden, it’s a wonderful mix of modern and traditional. Don’t forget that a Garden Designer can draw up a plan, along with a planting plan, without going the whole hog and doing the whole garden, if budget is a criteria. Have a look on Houzz at the Garden Designers the link above, PROFESSIONALS, which will allow you to browse designers work as well as rough costs, and the all important reviews.

FAN TRAINED APPLE TREE

SANDSTONE PAVING AND SETTS

CLAY BRICK PAVIERS

Hi Sonia,
Thank you for your interest and advice and yes the stone wall looks better in real life and a great feature. I’ve just spent the last few weeks re building/pointing it which was no mean feat but worth doing obviously prior to sowing. Thank you for your planting advice and again I agree we should aim to keep a cottage feel with a contemporary slant.

I will definitely check out the links you mention

Regards

Bob

Hi Bob. Ok, here is idea no 1. 🙂. Just be aware that I’m no garden designer (just a hobby) and it’s just to give you some ideas. It’s not to scale at all and had to make a few assumptions as to what is next to the house. I can see a large shadow from a tree so I’ve drawn that in roughly.

Main idea with this one is the summer house/garden room with evening sitting area. Drawn it (or attempted to) in a contemporary vernacular style which although maybe completely at odds with the cottage style, I think it will look fab but something more traditional would look equally as nice. The overlapping squares linking both patios I’m thinking along the lines of the second pic where the ‘slab’ is raised so it’s like a step. Planting in this area suitable for shade so acers, hostas, ferns, etc.

Planting on the left can be of the traditional cottage style which will show off the lovely stone wall. Then at the bottom of the garden I’ve put in a mini orchard and pond. I thought you could let the grass here go a bit wild and maybe include wild flowers. And if you’re wondering what the imaginary line is, this is where you mow up to and you could mow a path through the fruit trees and around the pond. Doesn’t have to be a pond, could be an art sculpture or something, just provides a focal point at the rear of the garden but thought a pond would be nice for the wildlife.

Hope this gives you some inspiration. I might draw up some more as I’ve got a few more ideas and It keeps me sane 😂. As said, a garden designer can be well worth the initial outlay even if it’s for design only and planting plan.

Some photos from back of garden looking back at our house. Also some taken against the new fencing looking at the new builds, hope this gives a clearer idea:)
Regards Bob

That looks great @rachelmidlands!

Did you just guess the dimensions?

Rachel, So sorry for the late reply we’ve been raking over and stomping down 😩

However, before I pop out to finish off for the evening I must say a big thank you for your ideas and art work..it certainly does give us inspiration and we definitely had muted between us about a patio/decking area with summerhouse where you have identified. Also, the area where this new pic shows the cement mixer we see a pergola coming away from the wall with a vine over and sofa/3fire pit under. We would extend the patio/flags all the way across and around the Hazelnut tree.

Right I’d better get back out on the job again but thank you for your interest and enthusiasm.

Bob

@arc3d total guess! Even if I had dimensions I’d still wouldn’t be able to scale things up properly. Love your idea for “garden features”, ha ha 😂.

Thanks Bob. Lovely house! Those extra photos really do help, thought there was a gate in the stone wall for some reason, now I see it’s just a cover 😊. I’ve got some more ideas so I might attempt another drawing tomorrow.

Nice one Rachel.

Is the circle in the top right corner a path?

Was wondering if it perhaps needs more in the way of garden path, linking the zones. (?)

It’s sort of a path E D. Was thinking along the lines of a mown pathway in the top right corner but letting a lot of it go wild. Means less mowing 😉.

Nice!

Guess OP will have to include a boot-room in the plans. 😊

Lovely big garden. I like Rachel’s ideas - particularly the orchard and the mown grass paths. That sun house would be amazing for your boys to have sleepovers etc. In effect you’ve got a rectangular space and what you’re trying to do is soften the corners with more informal “shapes” - such as curvy flowerbeds, sitting out area, etc. I think once you’ve sown grass and decided on where to place trees more of what you actually like in a garden will become obvious. Changing the look once these simple structures are in is easier than you think - think of a mass planting of crocuses coming up in swathes through your orchard and spilling out to other parts of the garden - that would connect up the areas. I’d not put in too many hard structures until you learn how you use the garden - odd things change where you’d like to sit out - not just sun, but wind, noises from neighbours or your own noise. Garden storage too, is good to think about from the beginning - everything from tools to compost bins - somewhere shaded perhaps, and shielded from the House outlook. Lawn has a bad press nowadays as being high maintenance and un-ecological but it’s great for playing - loved the goalposts arc3d! - for future grandchildren- and it doesn’t have to be a monoculture perfect lawn. I like having drifts of the same plant re-occurring throughout the whole garden - for instance plants like alchemilla mollis or geraniums (Roxanne or Johnson’s Blue) will grow almost anywhere (clay soil?) and if they are dotted around in drifts the garden looks less instant and more natural. And most gardeners will have some alchemilla or geraniums to give away. I’d want as little bare earth as possible in the early years partly because it’s discouraging so putting in annuals like forget-me-nots or borage that self seed in the first year would give you the experience of more gardening - it’s easy to transplant forget-me-nots around the garden in the spring to bulk out your initially empty borders, and as they self sow you’ll get free plants.

Hi Jane, thank you for your comments and I agree with all.. Rachel’s ideas are food for thought and I’m hanging a lot on letting the lawn establish before making big decisions but the advice from all is invaluable!

I too like the path idea of Rachel’s and the summerhouse area. We are lucky that in the drive (behind the wall) is the old cow calving stalls which house a workshop/log store and garage. We have an enclosed veg garden (😩 again I wish my fingers were naturally green) on the right of the house. What I’m thinking for RHS is shed for garden tools/lawn mower and even a weights are/gym for me.

Thanks again all

Happy sunny Sunday!

Bob

Wow! Yet more space! You’ve found the most amazing place to live. Brilliant. Good luck - seriously nobody has green fingers from the start.

That is so true Jane. I knew nothing about gardening when I bought my little house, but over time you learn. I made loads of mistakes over the years, you just learn from it! 😊

Sketch 2. Again not to scale or anything. Gone for a slightly more formal style this time with a water fountain as a central feature. The yew hedges are staggered on purpose to lead your eye around the garden and the hedge on the left should start where there is a height difference in the wall (hope that made sense 🙂). I’m having trouble with the pergola/ fire pit idea. Few reasons....pergola attached to the house will probably decrease the amount of light coming into the house but more importantly the fire pit (especially a wood burning one) needs to be well away from the house, more so because it’s thatched. Vines on top of pergola might not like it either😉. But a gas or bio fuel fire should be fine. So for these reasons I’ve placed the pergola/ fire pit slightly away from the house on the left wall.

I‘ve got a couple more ideas roughly drawn which I’ll finish and post soon. x

(please excuse the dim photo and click to enlarge)

Hiya - obviously I’ve time on my hands. This looks like a very grown up garden - great for parties. Cooking on the fire pit deck/pergola area but close enough to be in touch with the Shed crowd who I reckon have a fridge full of cold beer inside. I’d be tempted to have the square pond tucked into the corner by the shed,, within the lawn corner, built with wooden beams around it wide enough to sit on. Gives a sense of space with more room for the party goers to mingle. Perhaps planted up with tall water plants - papyrus or horsetail-like for a hazy screen. My favourite is your orchard design though.

Thanks @Jane Timmins 🙂. Wait till you see the next one! Great idea with the pond.

Good morning Rachel,

Really like this plan, some great ideas. The pergola is pretty spot on.. the early April sun hits the line along patio left to right (house is South facing so North is back of garden) very early in the morning so we see coffee/breakfast under Pergola with it running left to right too. The sofa set and fire pit (Gas) we brought with us so trying to incorporate. I do like the idea of the hedge on the left breaking up the garden and tree behind. I also like the idea of wild flowers somewhere.. great stuff!

Hi Bob. Did wonder what the orientation was ☺️.

Sketch 3! I copied Angie’s circular design a bit (sorry Angie). Circles do work really well in garden design tho. In this one I put the outbuilding on the left as it should have the same effect of screening the neighbours. I thought an octagonal design would look fab here, perhaps a pavilion or bbq hut. Or I’d love to see a summerhouse with a thatched roof and a bit of wilderness beyond......lovely 😊.

Didn't do a perspective sketch so I’ve added ideas for an octagonal building. (sketch 4 tomorrow:))

Happy for “my” circles to be used Rachel! Circles was one thing we really wanted once we’d had the idea. Love your ideas.

Good morning a Rachel,

😳 wow another very professional looking design.. you are good at this! You’ve got me thinking about the pergola positioning now and the I do like the circular theme.. and the patio are reminds me of a mag pic I found which I like...

Last one! Sketch 4. I’m calling it the Easter egg because of the shape of the lawn 😄. Not much to add as it incorporates a lot from the other designs but in slightly different shapes. By all means you don’t need to follow any of these ideas. You could try sketching a few ideas out yourself, some graph paper and a few measurements to get a rough idea for scale, start doodling shapes and away you go 🙂.

Only thing I’d say is don’t be intimidated by thinking it needs to be all done at once. Work on a few elements at a time and you may want to swap and change things every now and then but that’s all part of gardening. I only started learning about plants about 10 years ago when I put some pansies in a pot! 😁.

Best of luck with your garden, you have a lovely house and a fab space to work with. x

Hi Rachel,
Sorry for the late reply again, full day in the garden..🤷‍♂️ gotta make the most of the weather!
Thank you for this design, I really like your presentation and it does encourage me to ‘have a go’ with the art work, although I don’t think I’ll be posting any of my efforts on here! I wish I also shared your enthusiasm about growing green fingers, but I will try and I’m quite determine to give it a go.

Thank you so much for all your ideas and designs over the last few days.. it is really quite humbling the help and enthusiasm from all on here, especially in these days of unprecedented and bizarre circumstances. It has also given me a boost and of course something to focus on whilst on lockdown (I’d never would have had the time/or the weather to have launched myself into this in normal times!)

Hopefully I’ll be able to come back to you with some early stage pics of the garden and some design ideas that we’ve taken up.

Many thanks again, stay safe and enjoy this glorious weather (😳 this might just be ‘Summer!’)

Best regards

Bob

❤️ Glad to help. And indeed, let’s enjoy the early summer. I’m currently taking up old paving and generally shovelling soil from one pile to another so doing these sketches has given my back chance to have a rest 😂.
All the best and would love to see any updates.

😩 good grief I know how you feel! X

Hi Bob. I would call a garden designer when finances allow. Many of them are working online and virtually at present including myself. You can gather ideas on Pinterest and Houzz in the meantime. Regards Joanne

Hi Bob - this looks like a great blank canvas to start with! Love one of the previous suggestions of leaving grass to grow with a mown pathway through - would be great to add bulbs eg iris and camassia which pop up for added interest. As it is quite flat site it would be great to add some height with trees if budget affords. There are some great nurseries around the country who can supply trees of a good size to provide some immediate impact