My partner and I just moved into our first home together. I've been doing odd jobs to get things established for next year and hopefully shorten my to-do list.
The previous owners laid out the patio and lawn to a good spec but it's pretty plain. A good starting template but a bit boring.
So far I've: dug, laid and planted a border at the bottom of the lawn; got some second hand furniture in; started filling our patio shelf with a mish-mash of pots and plants; and started decorating the stone wall next to the patio including with hanging baskets and climbing plants (clematis 'president', blood orange pyracantha and climbing hydrangea).
Any ideas on what we should do with the rest of the space? We want to keep some lawn but it's maybe a bit big and surrounded by chuckies. Also, there's more patio than we know what to do with. Tips for a novice gardener also welcome.
Thank you!
P.S. The garden faces southwest and is fairly sheltered. Aiming for a cottage garden style in the long run.
by IanScottTheScot
6 Comments
Fist you need a tree just in the middle, after that, a lot of flowers.
If you want climbers, you could have something that curves over the entrance to the path, plant the climber in that bed and let it go wild over it. Then you can have flowers growing in the border along the walls either side of the lawn.
I wouldn’t cut down on lawn space personally, but if growing your own food is at all of interest you could have some raised planters or a mini greenhouse up against that extension wall which looks like it might get good sun, where the table and chair are currently.
Don’t be tempted to reduce the patio, at least for a while. You might find the space is just right once you are used to using it, especially if you are likely to have visitors. But you could invest in some very big pots, which will balance it better, partly because you can put big plants in them. Expensive, and not practical to move about a lot, so requires some thought, but worth it.
Id put 4 more grasses in that bed!
Karl Foerrester, oat grass, pheasant grass, pennisetums.
They will give you year round movement and texture. And you can still see through them.
Have you thought about colours?
Rust, peach and yellows would look amazing with the colour of your stone.
Paint the back of the garage white as a backdrop. Plant climbers up it .. Roses, Jasmine, peas and sweet peas. Or plant delphiniums in front of it
https://preview.redd.it/r62dy6xyrinf1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=24accaeb9331443009c51e4126d77f493183a184
We had a long rectangle of grass when we moved to our home, and we laid out hose pipe when planning how to soften it with curves. We took up some turf when we were happy with the shape, creating planting areas.
After the kids grew up (no more football etc) we put a curved bed in, left of centre – laid out hose again, took up turf, planted it out.
A honeysuckle grows up an obelisk and over an arch now. We don’t have a grand plan, and it’s evolving all the time – I make it up as I go along!. Less mowing. More visual interest. The tree on the left was already there. We added the greenhouse in 2020. *