How to create height and separation

I hate gravel. If I could afford it, I would have my drive block paved. Don't waste a good lawn. It softens the garden and gives it colour. I would call it a yard and not a garden if it was all hard landscaping.

 

But you had help....the dog!...Jack Sparrow.
Just a thought but it would have been quicker with a slightly bigger dumpet truck
Yes, always a lawn for me. Green is good for our mood and grass is good for the environment

 

Right, thanks for your input everyone. For now, I'm keeping the lawn. Also, a valuable lesson I've learned from people on here, is not to attempt to tackle the entire garden simultaneously - I ought to focus on one area at a time.

In order to get another perspective I eventually enlisted the support of a landscape garden designer. They have agreed to draw me up a plan and present some ideas in exchange for me offering them some of my creative skills which in turn can benefit their own business. I should have a plan from them within the next few days.

 

Update: I finally have a plan in mind for the garden. I've changed my mind a few times but now I have a slightly clearer picture of what I want. Controversial though it may be, I've decided to get rid of the lawn entirely and replace it with gravel. I'm not looking forward to picking up the leaves off the gravel but I've had enough of the lifeless, patchy grass - it has to go. The new plan is as follows:

The bamboo will be removed at the back by the fence. The existing rocks/pebbles at the back will be removed (some of the larger rocks may be used elsewhere) All the lawn will be dug up and removed. A membrane sheet will go down to cover these former lawn areas to stop weeds from growing through. The lawn areas will become gravel areas.
The existing border areas at the sides will be straightened and railway sleepers will be placed on each side to create raised beds. For example, on the left hand side, sleepers will run down from the BBQ area towards the red brick wall. The same on the right hand side so it's all symmetrical (hopefully the trees won't be in the way).

So, any thoughts on the new plan? As @Clare G suggested I could put an obelisk in each of the gravel areas.

Work is due to commence in the next 2 weeks.

A couple of months back I visited someone who'd had their garden landscaped (see attached images) - it was a tranquil outdoor space - water features, Buddha statues, nice potted plants, mirrors etc. It looked clean, well maintained and low maintenance. This is the kind of effect I'd like to achieve.

If there's one thing we get a lot of in this country it's rain. Currently my garden is a untidy, soggy, damp mess. However I think modern, urban gardens like this one look good even in the rain.

 

Sounds lovely. Peaceful and tranquil. Concerning leaves on your gravel, I'd recommend a leaf vacuum. Mine sucks up leaves but doesn't lift gravel. My favourite garden machine, and not expensive either.

 

Ha ha Irmemac....my newly acquired leaf blower and vacuum is my favourite toy, er tool () too at the moment.
Good to decide sandun so now have fun preparing your garden

 

I wish you good luck with your plans @sandhun . Don`t forget to show us your progress

 

Sounds great @sandhun! And getting the work done this month is a good plan. Landscapers are less busy but the weather should be OK still, and you may also be able to find end-of-summer deals on things like obelisks, pots and Buddhas! On the plant front, it's the right time to buy and plant bulbs, and bare-root shrubs and trees - which are cheaper to buy than container-grown ones, and to my mind often establish better.

And yes please as @Tetters says do let us know how you get on - it'd be fun to see some pics.

 

Hi folks, I need your help / advice urgently please. I recently dug up the soggy, patchy turf in my garden with the intention of replacing it with gravel. The weed control membrane is down and the a layer of white 20mm 'cotswold buff' has been put down in place of the lawn. However I'm not sure if I like the colour as the contrast with the existing weathered grey path looks really odd.....I'm now trying to think of a way to rescue the situation. Therefore I am considering buying some additional gravel (of a different colour) and mixing it in with the existing white gravel. I originally considered adding some grey gravel but am now leaning towards some reddish coloured gravel as it may compliment the sleepers.

Thoughts?

ps: The fence at the back is going to be painted dark grey/black but at the moment I can't do anything until the fence has been repaired. Trees from Network Rail land have grown into the fence panels causing them to break. This was reported to Network Rail months ago, they've acknowledged the problem but have so far failed to take any action.

 

I've been thinking of that recently. The other day I watched Monty Don collecting leaves to make leaf mould. I don't have that many leaves in my gardrn but there are still plenty around the village. I want to get out there with my shovel and harvest as many as I can get in my car. Had I seen the programme earlier I might have done it by now.

@sandhun I think your gravel is a bit bright.

G.

 

Its the fence for me that's most shocking sandhun Grey or even white there would tone it all down. So, paint the fence first then assess it all
May be in a minority here but I would keep the white gravel. With planting it would soften hugely.
A pot either side of your entrance....hackonechloa, japanese hakon grass, would be my choice......would soften and add movement there.

 

If I were you sandhun I would start thinking about plants. The whole plot will look like a garden when you struggle to see the gravel, wall and fence.....

 

@Tetters that photo is lovely!

@sandhun, you have made good progress in your garden. I agree with you that it is a bit bright though. I'm not sure what I would do with the gravel as I can't really imagine what it would look like with red gravel mixed in. Perhaps a bit too .... well.... red (until the fence is painted ). I'm not sure I would go for such a dark fence paint as it is quite dark in the corners. Would you consider a kind of soft sage, to keep it lighter but subdued? Perhaps a builders' merchant could give you an idea of what mixing the gravel would look like?

 

Jack, if only I knew you wanted lots of leaves I could have brought you a car load! I have been out for 20 mins with my leaf vacuum every dry day for weeks and have lots of bags of future leaf mould. I have also used lots as a mulch over my beds and pots as my spring bulbs were starting to make an appearance, and I didn't want the frost to burn the tops of the shoots.
I cannot recommend a leaf vacuum enough. Using one makes me feel like...