Small garden, need inspiration

Sarahlou2 · 15 January 2019 at 10:17PM

Hi, we have recently purchased a house and I've attached a link to a picture of the small garden we have. I'm currently seeking inspiration to turn the garden into something more attractive but as cheaply as possible. Our previous house was rented accommodation with half grass and half paving with some easy maintenance plants. My boyfriend does not want grass and he has considered laying decking but I don't think it's practical and needs constant maintenance. Wondering if anyone has any ideas please?

m.imgur.com/osBF2Dq

trailingspouse · 15 January 2019 at 10:57PM

Get to know your neighbours, who will (if they are gardeners) be more than willing to give you plants. I can't stop mine!!
Grow from seed rather than buying ready-grown plants in pots from the garden centre.
Don't be afraid to ask friends for cuttings of plants you particularly like - they'll take it as a complement!

But first and foremost, have a plan. What will you be using the garden for? Kids playing? Drying washing? Cup of tea in the sun? Sunbathing? Entertaining (eg barbecues)? Once you've decided what you want from the garden, you can think about how to achieve it - you might need somewhere to put the BBQ, or somewhere to put the patio furniture, or somewhere to put the goal net, or the washing line, or whatever you'll need. Once you've decided that, the rest will follow on.

I agree with you about decking - we had the decking that came with the house removed and replaced with paving. Decking can be slippery when wet and very slippery when icy. And as you say, needs lots of maintenance.

Fire_Fox · 16 January 2019 at 12:05AM

Lawn needs far more maintenance than decking. Mowing, edging, raking, feed & weed, aerating, watering. Who would be the primary caretaker of a lawn or of decking, or would you both be getting stuck in equally?

I'm not a fan of either. Pretty round patio with the corners and centre planted, stuff clambering on walls and fences ....

I wish. North facing flat with freezing window reveals. Grew herbs like weeds all summer, planning hanging strawberries next summer. Now down to two huge plastic plants! One of which the cat tried to chew earlier. :rotfl:

If you are on a tight budget growing some edible items can look attractive, smell good, be moneysaving and tasty. Herbs, salad leaves, tomatoes, strawberries, climbing peas ... using the vertical space you can cram loads in a small area.

Seeds, free cuttings, reused/ recycled containers and a little patience. Books from the library, ask neighbours or relatives, websites or blogs on balcony or rooftop gardens, regularly repeated TV series such as Jamie at Home or River Cottage have lots of snippets for small scale versions.

-taff · 16 January 2019 at 11:43AM

Go and have a look at some love your garden progams with Money Don, there's some on Netflix.

You need to decide what you want your garden for and how much woek you want to do in it before you decide on plants etc [ although that also depends on where you are and what your local weather is like]

Sarahlou2 · 16 January 2019 at 1:22PM

Thank you, we wanted a west or south facing garden so the garden is south facing. We moved in September so not sure where the sun will hit properly yet. In spring and summer the garden will mostly be used for BBQs, plus space will be needed for my daughter so she can use her bike and scooter. So thinking about what we'll be using it for it's looking like we are going to have to have it paved, not sure if my oh will fancy having a go at that himself though has the drains will need raising on the concrete part of the garden. I've no idea how much it's going to cost to get it all paved? We will likely need a little area for my daughter so she can do a little gardening herself. Can't wait for spring now!

-taff · 16 January 2019 at 1:57PM

If you have it all paved it's going to look like a concrete jungle. If he doesn't want lawn [ don't blame him, neither do I] then look at different surfaces, not just one type of paving, so you could have a paved area, a gravel [of some type] area with interplanting, decked area with pots, a bonded gravel pathway with plants either side etc don't just go for one type.
Think about the type of plants you like, maybe grasses, maybe bamboo, maybe larger plants or trees, trailing plants , and maybe a space for raised beds to keep the edges clean and the earth contained, a wormery or small compost heap/bin
Basically, work out what the bare bones of your garden are going to be in terms of permanent and evergreen plants/shrubs/trees, what the floor will look like, and then add in the annuals and pot options.
You can use the flooring to separate areas of the garden, so one type where the BBQ will be and space for seating, gravel where you put pots, etc.

Slinky · 16 January 2019 at 2:44PM

There are loads of lovely looking gardens on Pinterest you can gain some inspiration from.

trailingspouse · 16 January 2019 at 5:04PM

If you only moved to this house in September, it's likely there are some plants lurking beneath the soil that you don't know about yet!! Wait a few months before doing anything, just to give everything a chance to come through.
If children are playing, grass is a softer landing than paving.

Sarahlou2 · 16 January 2019 at 11:08PM

There is a lot to think about here and yes we don't want it looking like a concrete jungle. Having separate little areas, gravel with pots etc does sound nice I suppose you can still work that whilst having space as well. I've had a look on Pinterest and my mind is in overload now, something to think about while I get to sleep, haha! That's a good point about waiting for any plants to pop up before digging it all up. In our last house we found a patio rose that was on its last legs, we moved it slightly from its old position and we couldn't believe how well it flowered the following years. It was from that we took an interest in looking after all the other plants that were neglected from previous tenants, but I suppose gardening is not for everyone. I wouldn't mind a bit of grass myself but my oh ended up cutting everyone else's gardens last time, I think that's what puts him off a bit haha! Like you say it is a softer landing and safer for little ones.

getmore4less · 17 January 2019 at 10:44AM

Who owns the walls?

They are ideal for plants or murals or other options.

large mirrors can add a feeling of space or a mural with perspective giving the feeling the garden is longer

when and what time of day was that picture taken?

You can get an app to work on which bits will get sun when.

think about storage.

[Deleted User] · 17 January 2019 at 3:01PM

I'd say first you should give everything a good clean. Get (or borrow) a pressure washer and blast all the dirt off the walls, wall and patio. You'll be surprised how much better it can look just by having a good wash!

I would recommend you find a way to cover those walls. either painting them or getting trellis and growing something up there.

Personally I would keep the grassed area but if you want low maintenance you could always get fake grass. The current grass does looks in pretty poor condition.

Could maybe turn the wall into a raised bed?

Something like this looks easy to maintain and very tidy https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/503769908309029684/

Small garden, need inspiration

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