Lay out for a long thin garden?

MrsE_2

We've done nothing in our garden except trim & mow. We would like to work towards having it nice.

Its a long thin garden (115 foot long & only a about 3 foot wider than the house. So a the top its about 22 foot, but it tapers in on one side & ends up about 15 foot wide.

The straight side is hedges (neighbours) the tapered side is fence panels with big shrubs (attractive ones) in front of.

We have two sheds, near the back door, we plan to put them (or replace them) with ones near the bottom of the garden.

The bottom 15 foot is very uneven, has banked up soil with old hardcore in it & a big old willow tree in the middle. Would like to keep the willow & ignore (or make a feature of) the rocky ground.

Most important thing is, AS LOW MAINTENANCE AS POSSIBLE:D

Was thinking if a nice big patio to the top, sort of squared off (when the sheds are removed) about 22 foot square.
Then a big pergola halfway down going right across the garden from edge to edge.
Treating the bottom half as the grubby area for sheds & washing line (we may one day venture into putting a few veg down there) & the top half as nice lawn.

What do you think?

Taking into account it being like a ribbon (long & thin).
Should the lawns be square & plain? Or circular?
Should the path be middle & straight? Curved? Diagonal?
Beds? Raised? Raised with railway sleepers?

The garden is west facing & the side that gets the sun (from the south as it goes around) is the tapered side where the shrubs are.

Ideas:A

mrbadexample

MrsE wrote: »

Most important thing is, AS LOW MAINTENANCE AS POSSIBLE:D

Slab it. Paint it green.

smk77

The Beechgrove Garden on BBC1 Scotland was discussing the problem of garden shapes last night. They were laying out a wide short garden but mentioned that 2 weeks ago they'd discussed a long thin garden. Is The Beechgrove Garden on in England? You can get last nights episode here...have a look about 6 mins in... Unfortunately, last weeks episode isn't on iplayer now.

Oh, just found this factsheet from the 2nd episode.

http://www.thebeechgrovegarden.com/fact_files/Factsheet_2.pdf --3rd page - there are some designs on the right although not very good quality images!

RAS

Is "the top" nearest or furthest from the house? Is "the top" higher than the other end of the garden? Where is the sun at this time of year, at breakfast time? And where is it in the early evening?

MrsE_2

smk77 wrote: »

The Beechgrove Garden on BBC1 Scotland was discussing the problem of garden shapes last night. They were laying out a wide short garden but mentioned that 2 weeks ago they'd discussed a long thin garden. Is The Beechgrove Garden on in England? You can get last nights episode here...have a look about 6 mins in... Unfortunately, last weeks episode isn't on iplayer now.

Oh, just found this factsheet from the 2nd episode.

http://www.thebeechgrovegarden.com/fact_files/Factsheet_2.pdf --3rd page - there are some designs on the right although not very good quality images!

Thats brilliant. Mine is even more extreme being easily twice as long as that garden.

Thats why I had the split down the middle with a pergola idea.

I thought I could create 4 quarter areas, the willow & rocky area, the work area between the pergola & willow area, the "nice" lawn & the large patio.

Its just whether these areas & paths would be best diagonal or circular that I'm not sure about.

I like sleepers so I wouldn't mind some raised areas (beds) with those, it would break it up too.

MrsE_2

RAS wrote: »

Is "the top" nearest or furthest from the house? Is "the top" higher than the other end of the garden? Where is the sun at this time of year, at breakfast time? And where is it in the early evening?

Its fairly flat. The sun hits in the afternoon to evening. In the early evening it streams right down the garden from the west.

Don't know what you mean by "top". It has two ends, one near the house where the main patio is (& still will be) & the other end is the willow end. It would be boggy down there only for the willow. There is a bridal path & small stream. My neighbours gardens often flood at the bottom, I think the willow keeps my end dry.

smk77

MrsE wrote: »

Thats brilliant. Mine is even more extreme being easily twice as long as that garden.

Thats why I had the split down the middle with a pergola idea.

I thought I could create 4 quarter areas, the willow & rocky area, the work area between the pergola & willow area, the "nice" lawn & the large patio.

Its just whether these areas & paths would be best diagonal or circular that I'm not sure about.

I like sleepers so I wouldn't mind some raised areas (beds) with those, it would break it up too.

Whatever you do, plan it on paper and make a number of focal points. For example, if you were to have a patio at the back of the house with a pergola at some point, give a couple of different views from the patio...i.e. sitting on one position, you look through the pergola towards a feature such as a bird bath, water feature, interesting plant. And the from another position on the patio, you look through the pergola towards a path that twists into the next section of the garden. Also, consider the view from the other side of the pergola.

RAS

MrsE wrote: »

Don't know what you mean by "top".

Trying to understand the layout.

MrsE wrote: »

Its a long thin garden ... So a the top its about 22 foot, but it tapers in on one side & ends up about 15 foot wide.

We have two sheds, near the back door, we plan to put them (or replace them) with ones near the bottom of the garden.

The bottom 15 foot is very uneven.....

Was thinking if a nice big patio to the top...

Treating the bottom half as the grubby area for sheds & washing line

MrsE wrote: »

There is a bridal (sic) path & small stream. My neighbours gardens often flood at the bottom, I think the willow keeps my end dry.

Alternatively this could be quite a nice feature; there are loads of people who would really like a stream at the bottom of their garden?

J_J_Carter

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Low-Maintenance-Garden-Graham-Rose/dp/0711212201

Available from 1p + P&P

MrsE_2

RAS wrote: »

Alternatively this could be quite a nice feature; there are loads of people who would really like a stream at the bottom of their garden?

I guess top is the house/patio end, the willow end is the bottom.

The stream is not visible or even particularly pleasant (stream sounds better than it is), its behind a 6 foot fence, then its the bridal path then the stream (or even watery ditch).

RAS

So, your garden is bordered by the bridle path? If people are riding, can they see in and do you mind if they can?