Hi Emma, a wide narrow garden is a difficult shape to deal with. It's harder to split into rooms than a long, narrow garden, but not impossible with some careful design. I love the idea of sinking things - trampolines, seating areas, etc as it give the garden more interest and makes it seem larger. Stepping down into a seating area also gives more privacy as you are lower. I designed this Bracknell, Berkshire garden which is wide and narrow by creating different spaces in the garden for different purposes - a breakfast terrace, a small outdoor kitchen, a dining area and a more informal seating area. The garden is useable by all members of the family including kids and dogs as well as grown ups. The garden is used predominantly for dining and parties. Here's the plan for that garden. I set the garden on the diagonal as it helps to distract attention away from the boundaries so that the garden seems larger. I also raised the borders as this gives visual interest and increases the perceived size and depth of the garden. Try using circular shapes in the garden if there's room as this also gives interest, focuses attention within the garden and creates the illusion of greater space.

Love the frontage of your cottage. That wall is adorable! You have a couple of shrubs there already. Do you know what they are? There are some great low growing plants that need very little work once they are established. As well as T Gray‘s suggestions, you could also add Aubretia which is a low growing plant that has gorgeous purple flowers in spring. It’s very common and available everywhere. Campanula is a blue flower that cascades in summer (some are tall so read the labels). Another flower is Erigeron, again it spreads and is low growing with quite large purple daisy like flowers in the summer. My favourite is Geranium - they come in a huge array of colours and various heights so check those before buying. They flower in the summer. Don’t forget daffodils, such a ray of sunshine in the spring. They can be planted in the autumn. A lawn is a great idea - relatively cheap to lay too. I think the best way to have a low maintenance garden is to stick with trees and shrubs which dont need too much fussing with. Trees can be pricey, but so many places sell shrubs, not just garden centres, such as nurseries,, supermarkets and even car boot sales! AUBRETIA CAMPANULA ERIGERON GERANIUM ROZANNE

Hi there, Eventhough you have lost a chunk of the garden to the extension, you still have a very good space in there. It is just not laid out in the best way possible. I think that using the concrete base of the area where you are going to remove part of your shed will result in a patio area that is too small and not fit for purpose. If you can reduce the shed size that is great, but I would creat a patio/seating area where the swing currently is. I will ensure it is nice and surrounded by planting and would pottentially add in a pergola to add some height. In this area, you will get a bit of the afternoon sun. I would do a small patio right outside of your patio doors with a small table or maybe just a bench in case you want to enjoy the late morning  sun. I would also aim to bring the planting a bit more to the centre of the garden to create interest. Also, when choosing the planting,be mindful to match it to your garden environmental co ditio s so they thrive. If you are interested, I offer a range of garden design services that can be done onlineand would love to help you with this project! Now is the perfect time to plan it so you can enjoy it in the summer time. Please have a look a t my website and get in touch if interested! www.therootedconceptgardendesign.co.uk  All the best,  Deborah deborahbiasoli@gmail.com  07548105456

Hiya Yes long narrow gardens can be quite a challenge and overwhelming at first sight. A couple of comments and suggestions that might help. Firstly, to divide a garden up into rooms you don't necessarily want to have complete screenings across the garden as this really hides the rest of the garden from view. It is much better to have areas of planting coming out into the space and use items of hard landscaping like paths to add the suggestion of rooms. I attach a photo where this has been done very well. Each circular area feels like a room, but is partly visible from elsewhere in the garden. This creates journeys and half-seem focal points that add interest and mystery to the garden as a whole and draw you out to explore it. Within each room there are also hidden quiet spots. Secondly, the best place to hide the circular covers is in one of the beds that come out into the lawn, or even just in the lawn itself, particularly if it is just beside a bed. With all the other distractions going on, you will not notice them nearly as much, if at all. Planting wise, I would not plant a big tree near the sewerage system, but most shrubs would be fine, as would a small tree like an Acer or an Amelanchier. Both are lovely trees. The final option would be to hire a local garden designer to do this planning for you, or even just pay them for a 'design consultation'. A number of designers will charge you an hourly rate to walk around your plot and make high-level suggestions and ideas for you to implement yourself. Good luck with your design.