We have just moved in and the garden is very long and wide with alot of flags as you can see.I need help please
get rid of the concrete slabs for a start! Hedge down the left hand side to hide tha car - then its up to you, do you want to garden or just to keep neat and tidy? Oh this was not a comment on your car by the way, I am sure it is very nice,
the car shouldnt be there...we had quite alot of visitors that day had 5 cars on the drive way so we had to put ours on the flags we normally put the car in the garage right at the top of the drive.
What I would do, may not be at all what you would want to do Get rid of all the paving Group the pots together in three groups of three Test the soil to see what you have. Assuming it's poor quality and lumpy, dig it and rake it. 1 Sow wild flower annuals in drifts OR 2 Dig in lots of organic stable manure and put in roses underplanted with hardy geraniums 1 and 2 are not compatible - it has to be either or :D
The slabs would have to go !!..then i would build a cottage garden to add some colour..with a bit of height added with those climbing frames all rustic of course..i would also put some trellis up the bungalow walls with climbers to hide the bricks..lots of lovely grasses roses and wildflower seeds scattered to bring some insects and wildlife in..I think i would put a screen up to hide the car..even a screen of bamboo would be okay..the neighbours either side are all quite close to you so i guess you couldnt grow anything over 6 foot high or they would be complaining..but it would be nice to make your property more secluded within the law..
I would remove all the slabs. Not sure where your front door is? but I would incorporate a winding path across the area to break up the straight lines. Small lawned areas and winding edges to your lawn, perhaps a small native tree to add some height and attract some wildlife into the garden
Leave one small area of slabs. Your garden looks nice and sunny so it would be ideal for a greenhouse base. For the rest, first thing to do would be to lift a few at random and find out what's underneath. It could be nice soil or it could be compacted hardcore, sand and cement on top of subsoil. It's vital to know what you are up against before you start. Assuming the worst you would have to budget for a digger to scrape the lot then get topsoil. After that you have a blank canvas and the possibilities are endless.
Hiya Ducky, Its not very clear from you photo if this is your front or your back garden. Would need to know that before I made any judgment on what to do with it.
this is my front garden (the car should be in the garage) the front and back door are at the side of the house...
Ok, the next question is how does the house lay ie north south etc. Next...what sort of things ie type of garden... favourite plants etc do you like???
I agree that most of the slabs should go - grass is so much nicer and maybe some chippings as a compromise on the concrete. I think some turf would look good in front of the concrete (the pots could go onto the concrete to cheer that part up. maybe a border at the side. It surprises me the amount of ppl who go for concrete even when they do not have a car to park. happy gardening whatever you decide.
I agree with everyone else that the flags should go. The pots look a little sad too so for a start you could repot them all with new compost and whatever your preferences are, i have a collection of grasses in mine and all grouped together, look much nicer than scattered over a large area. Is it concrete by the house too? if it is personally I would get rid of that too and get some greenery and flowers in to soften the look of the front of your house. But if youv'e just moved in there is plenty of time and you can tackle these things gradually. With gardening anyway it is an ongoing project that you never finish
Before you start it's probably best to have a look at a few gardening books to see what you like, also to look at your neighbors front gardens just to get an idea what grows well in that area.
I would go with Stingo - before you take up one slab - take a look at the pictures in the books in garden centres, and in your locality - and decide what you would like to see from your windor, what you want from this space as well as what you would like passers by to see. Then having got a vision - map it out on a piece of paper Then and not until then lift the flags :D Once you've got your dream front garden in your mind, we can help with the preperation, planting etc. Have fun - cos its going to be beautiful
