Goodbye lawn hello plan 1,2 or 3?

Hi All,

I've decided to rearrange a part of the rear lawn - into something more interesting - something more like this:




I've 3 different potential layouts so far:

Layout 1:



Layout 2:



Layout 3:



The question is - which layout would you choose?

 

What sort of planting are you planning @clanless? I like layout 1 for a more formal look, or 2 and 3 would both suit something a bit looser/more cottagey...2 in my mind would call for smaller planting since the beds are right in the middle of the garden, compared to 3 where you could have some quite big stuff round the edges.

I think my preference would be 1 or 3, and I would struggle to pick between them!

 

I agree with @2nd_bassoon, all are attractive but 1 or 3 will give you the most planting scope. You could also consider getting rid of the grass altogether - particularly on 1, where I suspect those rings will prove fiddly to mow, and be too small to make much impact. Have a look at other kinds of edging, there are some fab and relatively inexpensive ones out there. Between my gravel and the flower beds I used a single row of secondhand London stock bricks, set in mortar. Looks good, but I was also tempted by the traditional rope-twist and scalloped edging tiles - and newer designs made out of recycled car tyres!

 

Thanks all .

I quite liked the idea of planting herbs - as in the top picture - perhaps a mix of perennials in the more difficult to reach bedding areas and then annuals/herbs in the easier to reach areas. The top picture is described as a 'herb garden'. Hopefully the herbs can be used to good effect with my new veg plot - which is to the right of the new area.

I'm in a bit of a quandry as below the new area will be what I call the formal bit - raised triangular beds, gravel in between and a pond - again perennials at the back of each raised bed and annuals at the front - which is why I'm going for the circular theme in the 'new' area and why option 1 is probably a no go as it is too regimented.

Perhaps option 3 with a shrub or small bedding area in the centre of each circular lawn? I managed to revive a lovely Forsythia 'weekend' from the local garden centre - perhaps it would be at home in the centre of one of the circular lawns.

All this and I've just put my name down for an allotment - it's never ending .

 

I agree with Clare , the ring and circular grass parts would look really effective . But they would be a pain to mow and maintain , I think.

 

I like the herb garden layout in your first post and agree with @Clare G about the grass being fiddley to mow and maintain. Herbs have a habit or sprawling and look nice doing so over gravel. I like plan 1 without the grass. You can of course rearrange the herbs easily if you find they don’t work or add some flowers to compliment. Herbs are good for the pollinating insects and much better in that respect than plan 3. It depends on what you like; plan 2 would be nice too and let you indulge any passions for herbatious planting.......really depends on what is most important to you. Whatever you choose, the bench is most important!

 

Hmm...lots of good advice and things to think about. I'm flitting from one design to the next, as has been pointed out each has it's own merits.

Plan 1 without the grass is now the front runner. Whatever we do eventually decide to do - I'll post up some piccy's.

 

You are so organised Clanless. I would go for the least maintenance option every time.

I got rid of the lawn in part of my garden and just have a wiggly path with large mixed borders either side. I didn't have a plan but the structure was already in place with three trees and several shrubs forming the bones of the garden. I always make it up as I go along with new additions/introductions. I guess lack of finances has played a large part in my lack of planning because I couldn't splash out on so many plants at the same time.

 

In reality it will probably take a year or so just to get the basic structure into place - I've been working on the front garden for over a year and it's still not planted up - it's mostly bare soil/weeds at the moment - but I did manage to pick up 36 'free' perennial plugs from Thompson and Morgan - which have all been potted on and are growing like billy o.

Limited cash here as well - so I grow from seed - buy small plugs - take cuttings from friends plants (most of which I admit seem to die ) - I can't afford to buy the more mature plants and in any case I do get pleasure from helping a plant grow to it's potential .

I saw Monty a couple of weeks ago plant 3 fairly mature Summerina Brown - that's not real gardening in my book .

 

Well, here's the first bit of fencing - posts installed last week - cross bars and uprights just now . A pain to get it to look OK - notice that the lawn slopes towards the bungalow and that the pickets on each side are of a different length.

 

This is the 'final' design - none of which appear above .

Cost was a large part of the decision - with this design no gravel or edging needed - same bedding area and I can add the gravel at a later stage.

Just want to crack on with it now:

 

Managed to find time to install another post today - builders merchants shut until 2nd January - so just have to get stuck into the mince pies .

I think that I might have been spending too much buying bags of pre made 'post fix' concrete - I've found out that I can make my own 'post fix' for half the price using plain old cement and gravel. So this should help to keep costs down. For info. the mix is 1 part cement to 3 parts gravel .

 

Post fix isn't cheap. If you don't need the concrete to set quickly then its much cheaper to mix your own.

I fell lucky when I needed some for the polytunnel. Every bag on the pallet was ripped. The double bagged it and I asked if they would be selling it cheap. I got 10 bags for a pound a bag.

 

I reckon you'll end up joining them to beds together in future.

I think it look nice with a simple wavy path with a small island bed in the middle, could have a large bowl of water in the middle island bed surround by the thyme / other.

I grow a few monarda's, I like the idea of monarda / lavender together colour wise but they require different growing conditions, monarda can be fussy need moist soil but not to wet but never dry or they get powder mildew, you can give them perfect growing condition and they can still disappear. They could quite easy over power lavender shading them out and they require keeping a eye on, they creep out quite fast from the centre so need lifting and planting again. I think a nepeta would be a better alternative , maybe salvia verticillata for blue / purples.

 

Some excellent ideas there.

With any intricate design involving beds, borders and grass, you have to be careful to avoid "border creep."

"Edging" is such a pain.

I faced this problem in our small garden ten year or so ago.

So for areas like this.




I replaced what I had with this. A singe line of block paving bricks.




Having had success with that, I extended the treatment to much of the rest of the garden.
The borders therefore haven't moved in ten years. I just wizz over the lot with my Flymo.
The bricks are on top of some hardcore and fixed with fine concrete mix and pointed up with dyed mortar, so are still in great condition, (photo from this year)






I did the whole length of the left hand border. The right hand one didn't need doing as the lawn is level with the path.



As they weathered and the planting grew they became "less in your face."