Inspire me! Rockery/general garden layout help

Hi all, I've spent the last year clearing our jungle of a garden so I have a nice blank canvas and would like to spend this year planning how to set it out.

Where to start! First job, we have a “rockery” thing in our garden (see pics) that I really don't know what to do with. When we moved in I hated it and wanted to get rid, now I think I sort of like it but it looks a right state. It's made out of broken up concrete blocks and has snow in summer, lavender and sneaky perrywinkle growing in it. Any ideas? My options are:-

1. Destroy it.
2. Rebuild it slightly smaller and neater, try to grow snow in summer around all the edges to hide the bricks then plant in the middle, although I'm not sure this would work as the middle planting space would be small and the snow in summer likes to spread.
3. ????? - something that makes it look good without having to spend money on it.

Our garden is long and thin as you can see in pic (the house is behind me and the garden goes down to the bottom of the brick outhouse next to the cherry tree) and I quite like the height idea of the rockery thing. I'm hoping to build a decked seating area across the garden where the big bald patch in the grass is to break it up a bit. I think seating areas look best at the bottom or top of gardens but ours is just oddly shaped, behind where I'm stood is the kitchen extension and a yard area down the side of it with a neighbours right of way separating the yard and garden (we live in a middle terrace), luckily our neighbour uses the access at the other side though. I originally wanted paving in the middle but our garden is so lumpy bumpy it would take forever to level it. I'll probably plant some shade lovers along the right hand fence to break up the neverending fence of orange (better than the chicken wire fence we had when we moved in though). I don't want a garden that is just a strip of grass with parallel borders though.

Right at the bottom behind the tree is currently a rubble dumping ground but it gets a nice dose of mid/late afternoon sun so I'm thinking of building an arbour and a few raised beds for veg.

So these are my garden ideas so far but I would really like your opinions on the rockery thing and anything else you could suggest. Unfortunately I have very little spare money to spend so need to do this on a budget. If any of you have read this far down without dozing off then a few ideas would be very much appreciated!

 

I would certainly get rid of that monstrosity. It will never look anything other than what it is, try as you might

 

Haha, thank you. I think deep down I knew that but was hoping someone would have a magic answer as to how to make it look pretty.

 

I think the rockery thing is a previous owner/occupier's attempt to break up the straight line of the garden, which is a good thing to do as it makes the garden seem bigger and more interesting.

However I think its a case of 'good idea, poor implementation'. I'd knock it down and rebuild it in a more interesting shape.

 

With a long straight garden you need curves to off set it. If you want flower beds I think I would put curved borders in, not necessarily all the way down the garden. If you start with a curve on the left hand side, then off set with another on the right, so they are not opposite each other, creating an 's' shape down the lawn in the middle.

If you can't picture this draw yourself a little plan, it will make it easier to grasp what I mean. You could then add your own ideas to the plan.

I would be inclined to get rid of the 'rockery thing', perhaps a raised bed is a better name for it. It looks like it was built as an after thought.

 

get rid off the rockery , plus I dont think you can use much of the left hand side , as your neighbour conifer are sucking all the nutrient out of you garden , I would personally divide the garden in 3 using portch and trailing , flower and plants , decking and b&q and maybe an edible garden with reised bed for veg and herbs .
On the left hand side where the conifers are you can create a rised bed with a plastic membrane under to stop the plant to suck all the water .
something similar or with the use of plants to create a break in the garden

 

Thanks for the advice, love the arch and trellis. I'll make a start if it ever stops raining! And try to cajole my other half into drawing up garden plans with me.

 

the long garden would look nicer indeed if divided into sections
partition them with arches/a structure with climbers or little gates , so you will come from one part with its own feel to another one which might be quite different

 

personally I would create , front of the garden a nice decking area , with table , chairs , b&q and a nice gazebo.

followed by a water feature , reading bench and relaxation aera.

and finally a nice veg patch or if you not in veg ....I would suggest a nice herbs and berrys garden ....with few trees and a shed.