ideas for back garden

ali-t

My back garden is a total mess due to the dogs using it as a race track, digging practice area and toilet. I am looking for a MSE way to get a no maintenance garden that will stay looking nice forever!

Currently most of the garden is grass with a couple of paved areas (path and 2 patio areas), has 2 sheds and is of a medium size. It is a bog standard housing scheme garden with no plants in it (I am petrified of bees and wasps so don't have any flowers).

I am toying with the idea of putting chips down but am not particularly inspired by the thought. I would love astroturrf as I like the look of grass but hate cutting it but don't think I could afford it at this point. I have plum slate chips in the front garden which look great but think it would look a bit much in the backs.

I asked a local gardener about 'fixing' the grass to make it look ok again but he said that unless I keep the dogs off it, it will end up looking a mess again.

Are there any websites that you can mock up what your garden would look like with particular things in it? Or does anyone have any inspired ideas about what would look ok?

As you can probably tell I have no imagination or vision in this area so need all the help I can get!

annie123

Try this:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/design/

hth

ali-t

That site looks great but I can't get the plug ins to load so can't see it. Grrrr!

Kay_Peel

This is what I'd do:

1. Decide what part of the garden was for the dogs' toilet. Every time that they needed to relieve themselves I'd put them on a lead and take them to that corner AND NOWHERE else. They'd soon get the idea. It just takes a bit of training over three weeks or so.

2. I'd dig up the rest of the grass and make one huge bed with just a smallish circle or semi-circle of grass (or chamomile or Irish Moss) in the middle. Low growing evergreen shrubs at the front, rising to tall shrubs and trees at the back of the plot. I'd grow evergreens like ivy near fences.

3. I'd put a barrier around the plot until the dogs were trained to avoid it. I'd put a circle of chicken wire around the big shrubs for the same reason.

4. Once the structure was in place, I'd plant very dense ground cover plants under the shrubs - euonymous, heather, shamrock, thyme and periwinkle.

5. I'd screen off the dog area.

Hope that helps!

ali-t

Kay_Peel wrote: »

This is what I'd do:

1. Decide what part of the garden was for the dogs' toilet. Every time that they needed to relieve themselves I'd put them on a lead and take them to that corner AND NOWHERE else. They'd soon get the idea. It just takes a bit of training over three weeks or so.

2. I'd dig up the rest of the grass and make one huge bed with just a smallish circle or semi-circle of grass (or chamomile or Irish Moss) in the middle. Low growing evergreen shrubs at the front, rising to tall shrubs and trees at the back of the plot. I'd grow evergreens like ivy near fences.

3. I'd put a barrier around the plot until the dogs were trained to avoid it. I'd put a circle of chicken wire around the big shrubs for the same reason.

4. Once the structure was in place, I'd plant very dense ground cover plants under the shrubs - euonymous, heather, shamrock, thyme and periwinkle.

5. I'd screen off the dog area.

Hope that helps!

Thanks for the ideas. I don't want any plants or flowers as I would ideally like NO maintenance as I am a lazy mare and would rather spend sunny days in the garden reading than weeding.

I like the idea of having a small grassy area (maybe I could have my dream of astroturf!) and could have that as a circle in the middle surrounded by chips. No weeding, no mowing and then I would just have to train the dogs to wee and poop elsewhere.

I should probably post a picture of the mess it is in just now rather so people can see the full horrors of burnt grass, muddy holes and total dogville!

Thanks Kay Peel for the inspirational ideas. I think you might be onto something :j

gabyjane

Hi we dont have the dog problem but despite our garden being just grass and patio and what i thought was fairly easy maintenance it just turned into a nightmare! Being a newish house too was brand new when we moved in so looked lovely.
The top was used by the rabbit so always muddy in the winter..the bottom waterlogged so pointless.
We have now had the bottom decked and a patch pebbled which will look lovely when done (run out of pebbles!)..the patio is again easy to keep.

The top is still grass and if we continuously seed it it stays nice. If i had a dog i would like someone else has said corden off one area for the dogs and keep it just for them..the bark for us was used as a dog toilet but not sure how dogs are with it?

You sound like me..i love our garden but hate the work it needs despite not being very big!

Good luck let us know what you do x

Lotus-eater

Your local gardener is right, either you keep the dogs off it, or you have a "doggy" garden.
Astroturf? Imagine that with some dog mess on it? I think I'd rather have mud.

ali-t

Hi gabyjane, I had decking before but it rotted and the upkeep involved in treating it each year was a pain. The paint would flake off it and there were loads of spiders under it!

I went to look at astroturf today and it will cost over £3K to get my garden done with the not very realistic stuff and way more with the stuff that looks nice so that is definitely out of the question.

lotus-eater with regards to cleaning the astroturf it can be hosed down to be kept clean and shouldn't be any harder to keep clean than grass.

An expanse of pebbles/stone chips is going to look really bare and boring but I don't want plants so it might be the way to go. It doesn't sound very exciting and I don't know anyone who has a back garden filled with chips so I don't really know how it will look.

gabyjane

Hi ah i see re decking! i looked into the fake grass is that the same as arstro turf? can just be washed down? we just thought as we had garden at the top it may look odd normal then new!
Have done another bit of our garden today although needs just one more bag of chippings..grey ones which look really nice with 3 trees potted..ill do some pics when done..very low maintanance and will hopefully keep the blessed cats off!

ali-t

what sort of stones have you put down? Apparently cats will still poo on rounded stones but don't like walking on sharp ones so won't poo on them - allegedly. Looking foward to seeing pics, you might be my inspiration!

gabyjane

ali-t wrote: »

what sort of stones have you put down? Apparently cats will still poo on rounded stones but don't like walking on sharp ones so won't poo on them - allegedly. Looking foward to seeing pics, you might be my inspiration!

Hi next to the decking we have black..or more like grey when dry! pebbles from B&Q..so far they have not touched these and if they dare i may kill one of them as have now cost in the region of £70 to fill up a small space!

The other area which is a pointless one and was grass when they turfed the house is now slate chippings in blue (which is actually grey) and now mixed with plum as the bags seem to differ depending which shop you buy it from! with 3 plants along..i think it looks lovely and pretty low maintenance..hopefully!

I have the decking people due at 8-30am today to do last of screws and some other bits so will do pics later and post tonight when they have gone.