Design suggestions

Here is my garden, photo taken this morning. I put effort into sorting the lawn last year, and whilst its an ongoing project, I want to make the back garden more interesting (whilst maintaining a decent chunk of grass)

The sun rises from the left of the photo, and sets behind the fence on the right, so its quite good for sun light.

The sun will wont hit anything I plant along the fence from 4pm onward probably....

Based on this info, what could I plant? I love palm trees and I see a few around here, but would it be a silly idea to plant them along the fence?

All suggestions welcome.... if this was your garden, what would you do?

 

Hi Zola, From the point of view of good design, try to avoid a narrow, straight border along the fence. I'd take it round from the bottom of the garden, curve off the corner, narrow toward the fence then curve out again into the grass (even a narrow, tongue-shaped 'divider' across to screen off some of the garden) then back towards the fence. Then start playing with ideas for plants....height, width, shape, leaf size and colours, etc. If you plan for foliage interest you'll have a superb all-year-round garden. Flowers are a bonus.

 

Ok, if it was my garden, what would I do...?

First of all, I love gardens with surprises, where you don't know where the garden ends, and you can't see all of it from one point (except maybe that upstairs window!). It would make you laugh, if you saw the layout of our garden. You see nearly all of it as you come through the top gate! But not much that I can do, because of the gradient, and location of the house.

The room that is directly below the photograph, the ground floor room - is it your kitchen, dining area, lounge? And the "extension" into the garden to the left? You have the washing line to the left, so I'm guessing that the "extension" is the kitchen?

I would think about a small circle (or maybe a small, then medium circle, but this may be too fussy) in the narrow half-garden, with "fingers" coming from the corner of the "extension" and opposite, probably just before where the tree on the fence is. Then a larger circle in the wide area. That's the "walking space", be it grass, gravel (maybe with pavers?), patio etc. The rest to be borders, with plants of varying heights. I would aim to have fairly tall plants on the "fingers", so you can't see through to all the garden in one go, and maybe even a trellis on the left-hand finger, to obscure the washing line. Actually, not because I don't like a full washing line - I love seeing clean clothes blowing in the breeze! But just because that left-hand area will be a surprise.

Do you use your garden for morning breakfast? Lunch in the shade? Glass of wine of an evening? Then you need to think of sitting areas to facilitate this. The evening place should have sun until 7-8pm, even in September, if possible...! You don't have to have one sitting area to fit all times. A bench set actually in the border would be charming!

Do you want to grow herbs? Then they will need full sun, mostly. Scented plants? That area to the right of the "extension" would trap the air movement, and therefore the perfume.

My starter for 10 ...

... Now looking forward to what others think!

 

Hi, thanks for the replies.

This first view is from the kitchen



This view is from the living room


I'd be quite keen to keep a decent amount of grass where possible, but would like some colour along the fence etc.

 

Those are lovely views from the house and a nice bit of lawn, very tidily kept too!

There have been some excellent suggestions already and it really does depend on what you actually want to achieve as you will be looking at it every day and tending it.

But a couple of things I'd throw into the pot:
1. avoid single plants along the fence in a narrow border, solider-like, will not work I don't think, though in a much smaller garden it can work very well. If you want a deepish border it could work well with say 3 row depths for plants, but I know you want to keep the lawn (and why not!).

2. If you like palms and they grow fairly well where you are, perhaps select a few you'd like to buy and then 'clump' them closeish to the fence (but not on top of it) with a few other complementary plants so you have 'islands' of plants along the perimeter?

3. What I find useful when you have a blank space is to map it out a bit - either buy some sharp sand and outline the areas you want to fill with your selected plants, or I find better still, bamboo sticks with string stretched between them to outline the border or areas you envisage being planted. Then leave the outline in place for a few days so you can go back and look again and get used to it and alter easily if needed. I think this is the best place to start personally as it gives a grounding and then think of the plants you want in your garden and enusre before you buy them that they will thrive in your outlines.

Looks good already though so no rush. Look forward to 'in development' pics!.

GG

 

Thinking a little bit outside the box.

Plant evergreen climbers only, alongside the fence on the right.

Then plant Trachycarpus Fortuneii, etc, in a "Parkland effect" in the lawn. Each palm would be in it's own little 24" diameter circle of exposed soil. Four specimens would do you. (Scattered, not in a line.)

 

Thanks for the replies, some good ideas

How deep would the palms need to be in the ground for root development etc? I don't think the grass and soil is overly deep.