The Grand Plan

At the moment, our garden is horrible so this year we have decided to try and make something of it.

We've recently added two kittens to our ever growing fur family and so have decided to create an enclosed area that the cats can use.

This picture is directly outside the back of the house and the bottom area to the right of the path is where we are going to build the cat enclosure. As you can see, we've got our work cut out for us as there's tons of nettles and other weeds that need ripping out. Unfortunately, next door to us is a house share and so the garden isn't maintained, and the area at the back of us is wild and so mainly overgrown with nettles that creep into our garden. Keeping them at bay is proving to be a nightmare and constant task!

Anyway, the plan is that the bottom path will be totally dug up and we will put down paving, or slate. At the top, to the right of the stairs, we will pretty much do the same, dig it all up and put something down. We will then put our gazebo here with table and chairs.



This picture is the other side of the path and where you see the ugly area with all the plant pots, etc is where I would like to create a bordered area and then most of the plants can go in the ground. I think I would like a raised border, but I'm really not sure! Also, you might be able to tell from the picture that the garden is a bit of an odd shape so I'm not quite sure what kind of shape I could do there that wouldn't look odd. Any advice would be great!



The top part of the garden is my favourite part and I really want to make this more of a wild English garden, and encourage wildlife where possible.

There are two problems that we have with the garden (well, three if you count the dogs!); we have tons of little pot holes in the bottom half and the top half of the garden is really uneven with lots of little, but steep hills.

I've started to clear up the potted area today - got rid of the dead plants and cut back the huge bramble that you can just about see.

I would really love to get as much feedback, ideas and advice as possible as I'm a complete novice!

Thanks for reading

 

Hi louicopp! I quite like your unusual space! I would use curves for the borders as well as the path. Do you have any other pics? Maybe some looking down from an upstairs window and also looking toward the house from the spot where you want the seating area.

 

Thanks Catztail and Armandii!

I really love the shape and size of the garden. Its actually what made me choose this property so its a shame not to put it to use now!

I've taken a couple of pictures from upstairs which might give a better idea of the bits that I'm looking to work on now.

Hopefully, you can see where I've made a start on the garden and the awful patch that's been left where all the plant pots, etc were. Where the garden chairs are is the area that I would like some kind of border to be. I think this and the next picture gives a better impression of the shape of the upstairs/downstairs dividing wall there. I really don't know whether to do a full length border, right to the end of the garden or just a small area just where the chairs are. So, when you say a normal border, do you mean just to have it at ground level but with a border dividing it from the grass? That could work...the only reason I wanted a raised border was because of the dogs but it would probably be a wasted effort anyway as they would still climb on it

You mention a curved border - I love that idea! I remember seeing a program once where they "drew" the shape of the border using a garden hose and then dug around it. Is that right?



Reading back on my first post, I think I must have been a bit tipsy! I didn't mean to say that the path would be dug up! I meant that the area to the right of the path will be dug up and a new surface laid - stones, bark, etc and this is going to be where we will build an enclosed area for the cats.

The garden is North West facing, but as the garden is L shaped (well, more T shaped) we get sun on most of the garden throughout the day other than the very back part where the cat area will be.

The soil seems quite clay based, with lots of rocks, etc too.

Thanks for your help

 

Thankyou Louicopp for allowing all of us into your garden Promise we won't be nosey and try and peep indoors! I can only watch in awe at the talent of folks in GC. They are so generous in the help they offer, the gentle advice they give about not pitching in in too great a rush (so tempting), and their enthusiasm which is so infectious. I wish you well in your quest and look forward to it taking shape,
Jenny namaste

 

That's the idea loui! Get your hose out and experiment with curved shapes and see what appeals to you. Look from ground level and from above to get a good perspective. There's already a curve in that area where the pots were. Start there and build on that. Remember that gentle sweeping curves will make lawn mowing easier than loads of tight narrow ones.

 

I Love the shape of your garden, so much potential,just take your time and enjoy doing it,Gardens are created over time some are ongoing projects some are a compromise,I think the sad ones are the ones where £££'s have been thrown at them with out enough forethought.
Sorry to hear about your neighbours this seems to be a common problem now because people are renting I dont understand why they dont care for their outside room enough just to keep them tidy if not rent a flat and let someone have the house who would enjoy it.
We have a similar problem our next door neighbours sold all the soil from their patch and just use it for a doggy toilet.It is local council housing and they do nothing to punish this unsociable behaviour.

 

Sorry that I haven't replied sooner. I had been hoping to design the border shape and then post some more pics but the weather has been awful whenever I've had an opportunity. I have a particular idea in my head and can't wait to "sketch" it out.

Armandii, if when you say fence you mean the bit with the steps going up it, yes that is ours too, but not beyond that where the big fence is.

The seating area will be up the stairs to the right. So, above the area where the cat run is going to be. I'm thinking too that next to that, along the back fence I'll have a vegetable plot....but baby steps. I think I'm trying to get ahead of myself

Ah, our neighbours are actually great appart from the garden but that's more the landlords fault than anybody elses. He decided to rent out the living room as a bedroom too so there's only one person who has access to the garden. As it goes, the latest chap living there is really nice and actually hoping to do something with the garden too At the moment he has a ton of seedlings growing out front that he will be planting soon. I'm going to give him some of my seeds and some pots to help him out as it would be lovely to see their garden making progress too.

 

As next door are house sharers and not interested, have you considered asking them if they mind if you fence off the 12' from the right and link the 2nd post to your fence.
They, hopefully will be grateful to save a bit of work. It will make a great differfence to your plot.
If it is accepted then - after a number of years - you may be able to adopt it legally.
It doesn't seem to make sense for it not to be yours anyway, given the access steps.

Shy Bairns get Nowt - a good Yorkshire saying. You never know. You may just get lucky

 

Ah, I think I've confused the issue....all of the land that you see in the photo's is my garden. Its weird...on different levels, and a weird shape! As we're renting too, asking for the land from our neighbours just wouldn't be feasible anyway.

I don't know what's happened to the lad next door that was going to do up their garden but all his pot plants on their front garden have gone un-watered for some time and are looking quite sorry for themselves. I'll go out their later and give them a bit of a water for him as I think he's not been home for a while.

Good news is that we've made quite a bit of progress this weekend (with the help of my folks who have been visiting ). As advised, I took advantage of the shape that was already there caused by the pots sitting on the grass, and then have a fairly straight border going the length of the fence separating the top and bottom part of the garden. One thing that has caused a bit of a stumbling block is that in several areas at around 6 - 8 inches down its just solid concrete. Thankfully, this is only mainly in the narrow border and then a little bit by the steps but this does mean that I will have to think about what plants can go there as they will have to have fairly shallow roots. On the positive, the earth is actually a lot nicer than I thought it was going to be. One end has a lot of clay, but the area near the steps didn't have as much clay as I thought and was lovely and moist underneath. We found a huge amount of earthworms - that's a good thing, isn't it?

Anyway, enough talking. Here are the pictures so far. Still lots to do, as you can see, but its getting there!




This picture is from the other end of the border - its not quite fully dug up yet but we'll get there. The shape will be the same shape as the other end (by the stairs).


My dad is going to make some hanging baskets up for me tomorrow and I'll be doing some more work on the border :D

Thanks for reading.....again, any advice, especially plant ideas hugely appreciated!

 

I can recommend some scented leaf geraniums from this site
http://www.scentedgeraniums.co.uk/
There are loads to choose from and If placed somewhere like near a path or seating area where the will be brushed up against will give off some lovely scent. I have apple, lemon, and orange, and have just ordered cinnamon, peach, and eau de cologne. They aren't hardy but can be grown as houseplants and are fairly easy to take cuttings from so you can overwinter them easily and have even more next year.

 

Your Garden is coming Along Lovely

I Love The Shape & Size

Oh sorry to GC KEEP THE PICS COMING

 

Thanks for photo update Louicopp. It's coming on very well. You will love looking back over your pictures as you watch it taking shape. Welcome to GC ,
Jenny namaste

 

You have so much potential and because the garden has very separate areas I think it can feel more manageable - mine does anyway. It also means that you can plant up in a way that passes the focus from one part to another as the seasons change, I'd be tempted to have a spring garden, a summer garden etc

I have two levels with steps connecting them too. I have roses and other climbers on what would be your fence, some growing up from the bottom and some spilling over from the top, although not covering the whole fence or it would make the lower level too enclosed. It means you can't see everything on the one level from the other and gives a good reason for going up the steps, also it means that from upstairs in the house you get a picture of the "upsteps" garden.

It looks as though your upper garden has a nice slope too, is the tree as big as it looks? Will it make the garden very shady?

I hope you keep posting the pictures, I love watching gardens developing.

best of luck & looking forward to seeing more.