Ugly Concrete backyard

Hi everyone I'm new here. We have just bought a terraced house and need some ideas on what to do with our concrete backyard.

The concrete is level with the damp course so paving is a no no and removing the concrete is too much work as there is poor access to the house.

Should I lay stone or gravel over it? Maybe paint it even though it is very uneven and needs patching/filling in places? There is a raised square of concrete in the corner that could do with hiding/ tidying too.

What about the poor brick walls? Cover with bamboo? The brickwork is awful and all over the place.

Any ideas or thoughts would be much appreciated, please keep in mind we are on a tight budget

 

Hi yarden. I'm not even joking, your yard sounds brilliant. I love yards. If it were up to me, I'd turn our back garden into half walled yard and half neglected garden. In fact I might just look into the costs of doing exactly that.

There is so much you can do with a yard. Obviously you're mostly restricted to containers of various shapes, sizes and colours, but that's cool. You can of course make use of the wall space, either with climbers or containers fixed to the walls with trailing plants in. Maybe there's an option to put some beams over part of the yard, to make a sort of pergola, or even have a retractable canopy over part of it so you can still enjoy sitting out there when it's raining. You simply can't beat watching the rain while supping beer or wine on a warm evening (ok, in the UK it might be warm, or raining, rarely both, but it does happen sometimes).

There are so many possibilities. Don't think about the restrictions. Think about the opportunities and plus points. You won't have the chore of mowing. You won't have to pick couch grass out of the flower beds. If a container gets infested with a pernicious weed, you can just bin the contents. In open ground you'd have a battle on your hands. Containers can be moved easily, so that plants are always on display when at their best, and if you get bored of it, you can rearrange with ease.

 

Thanks guys will post pics tomorrow.

 

Hi

In Monty Dons recent series 'big dreams in small spaces'. There was actually a yard that was done, it may be worth downloading for some ideas.

Rusty

 

to GC @Yarden

Congratulations on your new home

Let's get started with the "tight budget" aspect first and foremost: to help grow a garden you will need tools, pots, plants, compost.
To grow a garden quickly and cheaply to get those items you will need to keep your eye on your local Freecycle; also, Boot Fair season is now starting; ask family/friends for cuttings from their garden.
Then there are the discount shops where you can pick up cheap seeds, small plants, bulbs, small shrubs and sometimes trees too: B&M's, Pound shops; Pound stretcher; the major supermarkets have plants selling cheaper than garden centres (Morrisons is my particular favourite for plants, they have been of great quality too). For example: I bought two hanging brackets from Pound Stretcher yesterday for £1.79 each; I bought several clematis from Morrisons for £1.77 each.
Your particular area will be mainly container growing?
So, for you, the trick will be to find containers you like at a price you like.
Or, becomes creative in what you choose to call a "container"
For example, I have an old coal bucket that I use as a container in my garden.
In my last garden I made a plant container out of an old hose pipe and cable ties.


Old plastic garden bins can be used as containers too.
I currently have chocolate mint growing in ... an old plastic Quality Street tub
Even a patch of "lawn" using artificial grass could have a space with a little imagination

Inspiration is going to be a balancing act between what appeals to you personally, what you can build/achieve and what you can afford.
One of our members completely transformed a "terrace" garden with pots, ornaments, a couple of pieces of garden furniture and clever lighting. You can see it here: "My Little Piece of Tranquility"

Do you use Pinterest? Type in "small yard" and there will be a vast amount of pictures which might tickle your fancy. Take a note of which details of any images really, really appeal to you and then consider how you could introduce that detail into your own space.

I think you are going to have great fun turning that yard in a place to call your own

 

Thanks everyone! Pinterest is a good idea thanks @"M"

 

Artificial grass, lots of planters of different sizes and a nice seating area

Keep an eye on eBay for some second hand bargains.

 

There's so many possibilities. When googling, bear in mind that what we in the UK call a back yard, is mostly referred to as a courtyard everywhere else, so a Google image search for 'small courtyard garden' turns up gazillions of ideas.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=s...toKXMAhXIthoKHeoHAtEQ_AUIBygB&biw=360&bih=567