Blank Canvass Garden - Design Inspiration Needed

RAS

Hi

As a first step, given you've got fake grass, I'd be tempted to roll it back at one end (on both sides of the path) and cut away a 90-100 cm strip, to create a border that goes across the garden. Probably at the furthest end. Fill that with plants you have in pots, supermarket cheapies and some annuals and biennnals this year, then think what you might want in the longer term. Add a few climbers and you start to crat interest. You might even want to move the access to the far gravel area to one side?

Working_Mum

Thanks you @RAS - I had looked at how easy it'd be to do this so will take a deeper look and work things out - I could re-use the fake grass as a base for my living roof on my metal shed (waste not want not!).

I may share some pictures over the coming weeks - my kids don't share my enthusiasm 

twopenny

I've just painted a small dilapidated coffee table that came with the house. I used garden paint that I had in the shed and added a circlet of daisies painted with oddments. I used paint because it would go in the joints. Looked so nice it's in the living room 
So i don't know it's durability yet. 

Working_Mum

It's been a while but thought I'd share a little update - I have taken up the plastic grass from one side of my garden and turfed it properly and it looks lovely! I plated alliums and tulips in the border beside the privet and they came up looking lovely!

The fake grass was Freecycled and is now making a horrid steel fence look better at a disabled children's daycare centre - see pic :-)

I cut a smaller piece from the other side and lugged it onto the roof of my shed - I have started placing sedums up there and they have all taken! The pic shows the first day so i have tidied things up a bit and the plants are doing ok. The sedum was from the gravel which id planted last year but it seems to have survived the winter and is looking good I think!

Feel as if I am slowly getting more life into my garden.....I am sharing some pics.

I know there is still a lot to do but feel as if I am making progress - I've got quite a bit of wildlife in my garden (still got the 2 hedgehogs :-) ). 

I have fewer pots this year as I dug them into the bed at the end of the garden - they've all thrived which I am thrilled about.

My plan this year is to remove the gravel path and the last of the fake grass and turf it - hopefully with some kind of nice meadow-y type grass so my "no mow May" effort next year looks better than this! I will sort another bed at the house end of the garden similar to the one I put in last year.

Any advice people can give me would be great.

In the middle gravel bit the eagle eyed will spot a load of wooden posts - this is the makings of a pergola that I picked up from Freecycle so my hope is to make a pergola space this year too. I have a clematis, wisteria and jasmine to up the poles.

ArbitraryRandom

That looks brilliant! Much more character and life than your first pics. 

From talking to the local gardener I've found, the biggest problems I'm going to have transitioning to a meadow lawn is killing off/suppressing the grass (as it strangles the meadow plants before they can get established) and getting some of the goodness out of the soil (meadow gardens need poor soil) - so I'd say don't turf the remaining area if you can stand it. 

I think the best way for you would be to take the fake grass up in either autumn or spring and rake it before sewing a meadow mix or custom mix (I need one that has yellow rattle in it but I don't know if you do)? 

This was handy to get a bit of an idea of what I need to do: https://www.rhs.org.uk/lawns/wildflower-meadow-establishment

Working_Mum

Hello everyone,
I can't believe it is almost a year since I updated this thread!!

I have been working hard in the last year and my borders seem to be taking shape. I was ill at the end of last year which impacted me sorting spring bulbs etc but I've cracked on again this last month or so. 

The border in the middle is filled with plants from pots which used to be on my patio - I've spent about £40 so far this year on some Phlox and Stocks - this is my cut flower bed so I am hoping it'll be filled with loveliness all summer!




Here are some pics - I need some advice about the almond tree I planted last year - it has blossomed and looked beautiful but is now showing these red blotches on it's leaves - has anyone dealt with this before?? Online I seem to get a bit of conflicting advice so though I'd ask here.

I am going to seed the little strip of earth over the next few weeks and I am hoping to dig in a little pond (in the vicinity of where my dog is standing!!).

Any help and guidance is gratefully received

FreeBear

Working_Mum said: and I am hoping to dig in a little pond (in the vicinity of where my dog is standing!!).

Please, no burials and Bags for Life....

twopenny

It's looking truly lovely 
The digger on the shed made me laugh. People take their gardens too seriously imo. There should always be a little bit of fun.

I think what makes it good is that it's evolved. And to suit you. But I'd love to sit in it too.

I had grand plans for my vacant space which never happened. Whats there now had to just happen due to the pandemic and it's coming on in a way I love. Bursting with flower,  colour and fruit.

Wow, an almond tree! My only advice is keep it pruned to a height you can reach.
Spain has a lot. Perhaps there's some info there.

-taff

What a massive difference, well done you! You can see how you've evolved it over time, I think it is good to do it that way because at least you see what will and won't work, and what you actually want from it. And you have time to change your mind without regretting choices too much.

 And cough cough FreeBear...

Farway

Love to see the change you've made. And another thumbs up for the digger on the roof, I had to look twice before I realised.

Red spots on almond leaves, sounds like Peach leaf curl, same family, same disease, same no cure for amateurs except pick off & pick up the affected leaves

Unfortunately it's airborne, comes down with the winter rains, so unless you can cover the tree you have to live with it

FWIW it killed my peach & apricot, so I would start thinking about a replacement before it happens

https://www.rhs.org.uk/disease/peach-leaf-curl