New Garden. Help

I've not touched the back garden since I moved in really, other than to cut the lawn and chop down overgrown shrubs now and then

I want to take charge and create different sections or rooms in my garden but I feel totally overwhelmed and have no idea where to start.

Here are some pictures of the bomb site and some of my ideas...

Area 1:
Basically, I want to leave the back of the garden with minimal lawn (my hayfever makes cutting the lawn hell and to be honest, I'd rather be doing other things than cutting an oversized lawn that I never use) But I'd like a small patch to sit on for mini picnics with my
daughter and the lad next door when weather permits
I like the fact that the shrubs around the lawn are large and makes it look cosy..like a well established garden...of sorts :P

Area 2:
I want a section of the garden where I can put a table and chairs and go sit with my morning coffee. preferably with some sort of hard surface so I can wonder out in my pjs and slippers. Eventually I'd like a gazebo or an arbor with shelter from the rain...but budget will not allow that just yet

Area 3:
Has to be slabbed or simlar type of groundcover because this is where I intend to let the dog do his "business". It'll be close to the house, not ideal, but it also means it'll get cleaned up regularly and wont be out of sight out of mind. I do however want this area to still be pretty and not just look like a doggy toilet


HELP!!! Please dont be too mean when you see the state of my "garden" lol

My front garden is low maintainance, wood chip with liner, log built raised bed under the window planted up with grasses and snow in summer and various shrubs such as fatsia japonica and pieris etc. Its okaaay for now. But looks neat, tidy and presentable until I have got to grips with the house and rear garden. I'll get a pic when its not raining



the tree is elder and the trampoline can be moved to the woodchip area at the front on the garden.



The lengths of wood have been replaced by 12 slabs as a base for a tower playhouse for the little one. This is where I want to keep lawn and big bushy shrubs and lots of plants



the slab area is uneven, cracked and has random dirt patches...this is where I'd like a seating and relaxing area



Another random dirt/wood chip patch. The plastic playhouse is my makeshift shed. It has to go


I know there is a lot of work, everything is a bit well, overwhelming but I really feel that once ive got the ideas and the shape, the planting will come easily....I think

The doggy part has not been included on the pics as theres really not a lot to see and the playhouse is in bits on there covered by a huuuuge tarp

 

basically, I want to know, how I can create these seperate rooms in the garden, but make it look like it all fits. I dont want it to look silly or unplanned. I'd like something so that you cant see the back of the garden in full view. to guide your eye and make you want to walk around the garden as opposted to just walking from front to back

 

Hi FMN,

First-my kids think you are sooooooooooo coooooooooooooooool-you have a trampoline-I won`t let them have one-boo hiss!

It`s not as bad as you think, you have a good size to work with, and you know what you want, my advice-

First sort out where you want to sit for your coffee in a morning-all my ideas come then and I can plan my work from there.

Now how to do it cheap-look at the things you already have in the garden-can they be moved around to suit what you want? Register on freecycle-it`s great to get rid of all the things you no longer use and you get to ask for paving stones-pallets anything really as long as you pick up there is no cost. Being green is good.

Thirdly, decide what plants you have to have-what do you just adore? And then decide what is your gardens job-entertainment, or to feed yourselves, or a good mix of both?


These were the first things I thought about-after intensive reading of many many posts on here and hours of gardeners world and national trust gardens etc. I have developed a touch of the obsessed I admit-but it is just so damn good out there.

Through it all I have had to spend next to nothing on things-which has made me resourceful. There isn`t anything really bad with asking for stuff out of skips-timber, pots etc-I know it`s hard the first time but you get over it.

And more people notice you doing it, so more will offer you things-and please ask us if there are seeds and cuttings you want-I promise you we will all help as much as we can and send you all sorts of stuff. You have to post progress pics-they are the favourite ones.

 

Aw thank you

The trampoline, wasn't really my idea, but my Megan loves it, keeps her entertained and keeps her fit. (I went on it once, I had muscles aching that I didnt know exsisted!!)

This is the playhouse that has to be housed at the back on the garden in front of the elder...pruning the elder isnt a problem as my dad and brother are both tree surgeons



The trampoline and playhouse are both rather big items to have in the garden, but Its Megans garden too and I want her to enjoy it and get involved. I plan on painting the playhouse and growing "something" up it.

I agree with the morning coffee and thinking time. Now some of the slabs have been taken up to use under the playhouse, the slabbed area is even worse and its just crushing to sit out there now. They have to come up, if only for more to go down in their place. What do you recommend to create a transition between the lawn and the seating area? I dont want to just go from lawn to slab/stone. I was thinking of maybe getting something growing where the trampoline is, coming across, kind of like a hedge...but more just to give more shape and move the eye around the garden rather than just from front to back....I'm sorry if im not making much sense lol

I HAVE to have some sort of ornamental cherry or even fruit baring, I love the blossom. I generally prefer evergreen plants, I dont want the expense and hassle of re-planting ever year. I like foliage as well as blooms...I really dont know :( I'd like a wildlife pond somewhere but I dont think im going to fit it in really. I want to bring animals into the garden, im keen to do my bit to help bumble bees and butterflies as well as frogs and birds. My garden needs to be a space for megan to play and for me to relax and as my friend says "go hippy" looking at the flowers and the wildlife and just feel some kind of peace. I'd also like my garden to have growth up the fences so I'm not so overlooked

 

In your second picture there is a gap in the paving on the left (between trampoline and dogs tail!). I quite like that sort of thing in a tiled area - plant it up, have it sprawl over the edge of the slabs, and it adds interest to what is otherwise a very boring geometric shape - that may be why the previous people put the paving down in a Z-sort-of-shape.

I would make it rectangular either with raised planters, or with some gaps to plant in - the "gaps" need to be a decent size, they will look poxy-small if they are the size of a single slab!

Not sure how old Megan is, but I expect you want to have clear line-of-sight from the house in case she falls etc. So in terms of "rooms" you may want to think of that. I think a trellis and climber like Clematis montana might be good. Like this:

http://www.gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/showpost.php?p=229656&postcount=13


Personally I would want a bigger "soft landing" at the bottom of the ladder up to the house

Are you techie enough to do a screen-grab of a Google Maps satellite image of your site? That would provide a birds-eye plot plan, which would help

Oh, and you need to take that netting off the trampoline and buy a paddling pool:

I expect this is why Lollipop doesn't have one :eek:

 

hahah waw! My daughter would love that...but my nerves would be shot in a week lol.

the area by the steps had to be a single slab so as to have a solid base, around the steps and the playhouse is lawn and soil.

I'll take another picture now the playhouse is up and I'll get that google earth pic.

I like the sound of the raised planters and the flowers growing around that trellis looks gorgeous! I just need to keep the little poop demon off the grass lol

 

I love that playhouse I would've loved one of those when I was small (actually I'd love one now lol)

 

its up....not a lot else has happened tho lol

 

Haha the pool and the trampoline! :D We have a pool and trampoline but the garden is too small to put them together... Plus we really need to even out the ground as our trampoline keeps breaking :(

 

Right, I've downloaded google earth...now what lol...I looked at it for ages, and thought this looks nothing like my garden, it was showing me a neighbours house hehe

 

Does that help?

Note; spot the dog killing my spare plant pots lol

 

Zoom in to maximum detail that will fit on the screen.

Capture the screen graphic and save as an image.

Post the image somewhere on the web, and link to it from here.

Easy eh? :D

Edit: OK, so you've done that :thumb:

 

lol yup, I realised that there was no option to save a picture so just did a screen shot

 

Mate of a mate. Not a belly flop:thumb: he dived, jumped and somersaulted without mishap - but he is completely barking mad :rolleyes:

Some more photos in that sequence :eek: