Garden wall idea.

YoungBlueEyes

Looking for advice/criticism of our garden wall plan. I’m not imaginative or artistic (and himself just agrees with everything) so all input welcomed. 

It’s the middle section of our garden. Patio nearest the house, then the undecided bit, with the grass and flowers etc furthest away. The grass etc is a little lower than the patio. 

Based on these pics of things I like - 

…a builder has drawn up a plan - 

I’d be interested to hear others’ suggestions, or if anyone’s had anything similar done. 

Thanks very much. 

Farway

Will the steps be fancy paving or just slabs as now?, just curious and, at my age and mobility thinking of being slippy

I'd go for the flat topped wall, thinking of wall topper troughs or somewhere to place your G & T etc

YoungBlueEyes

Nah the slabs are just temp steps while we get the wall done. They were originally the tiny patio bit up close to the house. 

The steps in the second to last pic would be good but that’s not gonna happen. 

I agree flat topped wall, with luck I can get some flowers tumbling out of it. 

One change I’ve thought of - I think I’d rather have the side walls coming down in a slope rather than stepped to match the steps. 

ArbitraryRandom

It looks good to me - my only question (which you might have already asked) would be if he could use reclaimed bricks or if the bricks come in more than one colour (sometimes they do blue and red) so you could have a bit of variation without having to wait for years for them to weather. 

I agree with Farway that flat topped is more practical (for sitting on/putting things on). Not entirely sure how high the wall will be from the garden side (I can't gauge the drop) but I wanted to leave this here as another possible layout?  

YoungBlueEyes

Himself is getting reclaimed bricks (there’s roadworks galore here, they’ve knocked down buildings and torn up trees + hedgerows to make room) so it’ll be pretty bricks not engineered red things. 

I like your idea, a holey wall would be a lot easier to plant stuff in 

Just to add, this isn’t happening right now for there’s birds nesting in the hawthorn (?) so we’ve a few weeks yet to change and adapt the plan. 

Edit - the drop is a couple of feet ish. 

Dustyevsky

I'm with a partially holey wall, but only some holes, spread randomly. We shouldn't forget the function of the wall is soil retention, so it needs to be strong enough. The holes will make sure it drains adequately too, besides being planting pockets.

Do I recognise Gertrude Jekyll's touch at Hestercombe House in the pic above the plan? You ain't half posh, Ma'am!

twopenny

Just from a visual point of view your eye is stopped first at the May tree? At the end of the patio and you need something half the height in the left corner. 
 It will draw the eye quietly down and give depth.

The left corner by the patio shrub rose, hydrangea type things to halt the eye but not stop it.
Bird table in the middle of it so you can see them with stepping stones through to refresh it.

The compost bins something attractive. I have a house shape for a little garden. Imagination here.

 A low wall or small hedge at end of patio to stop people falling off.

Steps I'd keep half width of the stone you have.

-taff

I like the right hand side design better, the steps are nicer like that. Personally, I'm a gabion wall enthusiast even if I haven't got any, OH hates them. plenty of scope with them to plant in them..

But you do what you like, if you want a free brick wall, then Cinderella, you shall have one [ I'm never going to knock free with my roof tiles ]

twopenny

The wall in pics of the ones you like - isn't the middle one the same as the builder drew?
I like that best. 
It reminds me of the walls the Romans built in Pompeii - and its classy, like the designers of the Edwardian era

YoungBlueEyes

Yep it's the same 2p, that's what gave me the inspiration and started this whole thing off The wall will be slightly higher than the wood that's there. Not sure where I'll put the bird table... something nearer the middle of the grass will hopefully mean the squirrels can't launch themselves onto it from the fence! 

Soil retention isn't an issue Dusty, it'll be backed up to the drop of the patio and up to the fence on either side. Leaving a wee bit of room for maintainence. Or possibly not backed up tight to the patio, poss a foot's gap fill with stones/gravel for air and drainage round the existing wood. With toadflax or campanula or similar tumbling out of it.

The right hand design is nicer imo too taff, and himself agrees. 

The hawthorn (?) tree is due a severe haircut, it's too big now in general, and the builder will need more room to work in. I'm mindful of birds/flowers/berries but the timing for it and the builder might not match. It is what it is. 

ArbitraryRandom

I didn't take many pictures this trip, but I thought of this thread when I saw these stairs  (St Fagan's museum castle gardens)