My blank canvas..... quite daunting!

Hello all, new member here!

My girlfriend and I bought our first house back in January this year and it came with a pretty big garden (2400m2 plot). Its only now as the summer has progressed that it has become just how much work it all needs and how many hours every week even the basics take up.

I have never had a garden before and absolutely do not have green fingers, but the more I do the more I like it and I can see this garden becoming a labour of love over the coming years.

So here are some shots, in no particular order:

Front of the house, you can see the tree to the left of the front door has died and needs replacing.



Front from the left side, some nice trees growing on a frame - should look nice in about 5-10yrs! Other than that its only grass - quite a few weeds and moss that need sorting.



Unfortunately the hedge between the front and side garden has died and will be removed next year.



Driveway to the side. Really happy with this as I can park about 10 cars on there - I have previously had to use on-sreet parking or multi-storeys so this is a real luxury. Id like to replace the gravel with some kind of paving at some point.



Side garden running to the back - got some nice mature trees here - large area of gravel to the right will need removing, but plenty of potential for flower beds etc. The grass here is quite nice, just a few weeds to sort so im happy to keep it.



In the back garden looking up toward the house - you can see the poor state of the grass close to the terrace. Itll have to come up next year I think - no idea if its beyond repair, but when money allows would like to make some kind of feature in this part of the garden.



Garage/gardenhouse. Good space inside and some nice junior plum trees on the side - they are producing some fruit this year.



Here is the 'beyond' back garden. Complete blank canvas right now - plans are to make an orchard here and a large vegetable plot. We might get some animals too.



We planted an apple and a cherry sapling this year to see how they go - will probably go ahead with the orchard planting next year if the test trees do OK.



Got a nice terras behind the house - we need to replace the box hedge as it is half dead and very ugly, but thats not too much work. We need some decent garden furniture too, but bought myself a nice 5 burner gas BBQ last month.







Now this is my outdoor basement/garden workshop. Very nice space to have and im sure itll come in useful.



And this is my other ace card: A ground water pump. Really happy with this as it gives unlimited (almost free) water for the garden. Pumps at 4BAR meaning plenty of pressure to power sprinklers around the whole plot



And there we have it. Looking forward to getting stuck in but slightly overawed at the whole prospect of it. The main thing is we have the space to do the work and the primary elements to do it - we just need the imagination and the money :gnthb:

 

What a fabulous house and garden I love the pleached trees especially.

Do you have any major panting plans other than the orchard? Will you be getting a professional gardener in to help?

 

Hi Melinda,

I think we are going to have a sit down over the winter and draw out some extensive plans - we would really like to make a special garden - we visited Helligan back in May and found some great inspiration there.

I think at a certain point we will have to get a pro involved. I am keen to learn, but we really want to get the best out of the garden and I think that will need some expert advice to start with.

We are both looking forward to getting a vegetable garden started next year too