Block out and soften hard lines

3 years ago

Hello green fingered ones!

I am really hoping to get some advice/opinion on what might work in my garden. Last year we did a rear extension and as part of the building work, we got rid of a very small lawn in favour of a patio garden. We also converted an existing double garage into a single garage but left the roof, giving us an ‘outdoor dining room’ that’s a covered space to use all year round.

The next mission is to try to transform the garden and the first priority is to screen the view of the neighbouring houses. At the moment it all feels very stark and overlooked and I really hope to change it.

The following ideas have been suggested so far:

pleached trees, think these would need to be in pots as there is no flowerbed at the rear of the garden, but I’m not at all sure if these would work/what to buy/how many
something like bamboo again in pots, but my husband isn’t massively keen on it and also, worth pointing out the bbq area is at the back of the garden next to the wall where there is a light he would like to keep, so I guess bamboo would obscure the light.
increasing the wall height by attaching some horizontal slatted fencing to the top of the wall, but not sure if this would all look very ‘hard’ would like to soften the look of it all somehow.

Any suggestions or input anyone can make would be gratefully received!

Many thanks,
Jennie

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Comments (5)

embzop
3 years ago
Hi Jennie, I like your idea of slatted fencing to the top of the wall. This would give year-round privacy and I think it would look neat rather than hard. You could soften the look with clematis in pots - there are some wonderful varieties that are bred specially for patio containers (Raymond Evison plants).

I would avoid bamboo in pots. I've recently got rid of my black bamboo that was in large pots (45cms square). They were needed alot of care, frequent watering and when it is wet and windy they are unpleasant to walk past as their damp leaves smack you in the legs and face!
jenworldwide
Original Author
3 years ago
Thanks so much, so good to get your feedback.
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jenworldwide
Original Author
3 years ago
I should add that those are only 3 ideas people had given, if anyone has any better ideas I would love to hear them.

It’s all a bit of a mess in the first picture, I feel as though there’s a lot of potential to make it really lovely, but I’m feeling very uninspired having put a lot of effort into the inside of the property.
minnie101
3 years ago
I'm not green fingered at all so feel free to ignore me 😂 I did however have the same issue as you in my last garden and planted Italian cypress (which grow pretty quickly). Mine were in the ground but I believe they cope in pots in well drained soil etc and like a sunny position. Might be worth looking into, with your olive tree and covered dining area it will make it look even more Italian!
jenworldwide
Original Author
3 years ago
Thanks minnie101! I need all the help I can get, so all suggestions welcome 😂. Only issue with Cypress is I think it might add more bulk at the bottom than we need/would like but would really love them one day!

Block out and soften hard lines

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Block out and soften hard lines

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