CHALLENGE DOTTYDAISY..........HELP.

I like your 2 little sheds. - that's no help though is it lol. Sorry; but someone will say something more sensible I'm sure.

Why doesn't hubby want to have the gravel instead of stones ?
I think it'll look better, so i agree with 'you' ! I also think the gravel will enlarge the area because you won't see so many lines and edges.

I'd choose a 'courtyard garden' theme for here !
I think i'd choose a pale gravel and definately have at least one very large (".5' diameter, 2' deep at least) pot and have a specimen plant in there.
How about a type of bench or chairs and perhaps a 'frame/screen' to enclose and disguise the sheds and bins.

With the existing walled plants and perhaps a few more slightly smaller pots this area might be pleasing to your eye !

Id go 4 a Container Garden here Dotty & leave the Slabs because it looks like a area that gets a lot of water & Gravel will give u wet feet when walking on it as its not a solid base ! The Containers would also blend in with the Water Butts u already have & id also paint the Sheds Green to match the Butt,Gate & Pergola :) How about giving The Path a Blast with a Jet Wash/Sprayer itl have them looking new in no time :)

I find gravel difficult to walk on aswell. Something more solid may be better. If you really want gravel maybe you could put some of the slabs as stepping stones. You could also put them here and there with tubs on them.

MMMMmmmmm that sounds lovely Hywel :)

i like gravel but its a pain to walk on, my brother has it and unless you wear flats all the time dotty i wouldnt have it on a main walkway, so i agree with jacque , pots would be lovely and maybe some sort of arch over sheds to disguise them a bit :o)

Why not buy a whole lot of same colour pots in varying sizes. Over a period of time Then have a colour theme. Say blue with white flowering plants. Or yellow,, tulips and daffs, then whatever colour grabs you through the year. Make sure it stays spruced up. Your paving's better than our mouldy old concrete. By the way is it a wind tunnel as our little sideway seems to be?

Seems to me you are nearly there build on it rather than take it up? I would leave the slabs and clean with a high pressure hose. Then paint the sheds the same colour as the gate add a bench same colour too, place it in front of the railing with 2-3 oblong raised beds down the middle. Either side of the gate an evergreen in nice pots in that lovely cobolt blue or deep green. the plants you have already will look lovely.

After you've painted the gate and sheds etc the same colour - a green would look good - is there any possibility of growing a climber up each of the sheds? You'd need a piece of treliis or wires for them, obviously.

I think pots would look great, too. If there's not enough light for most planting, ferns etc would give you some greenery all round the year - and texture, as well. They'd break up the long path and 'tunnel' effect - as would some hanging baskets, if possible! That would divert the eye away from the other things that have to be there.

I would leave the paving, as well. Is there a reason for taking it up? Let me just add that wheeling a barrow across gravel is VERY difficult!

Oh brilliant, thanks so much for all your ideas, you dont know how helpful you have been, this part of the garden has been such a problem.
Idea 1 I want to take up the path, husband put it down that is why he is not too keen on lifting it up!!! it lead to a garage that only a Noddy car could get in!! we also have all those bags of gravel which have been taken off the drive, which, I dont want to throw away............we would have to put sleepers through to walk on or leave some of the slabs?
Idea 2. Was going to make a beach garden that is why the sheds are that colour, and put in thistles and beachy plants? not sure about this one now.
Idea 3, thought about putting a pergola with climbers and hostas and ferns on the shady side?
Idea 3 Buy thin water butt and screen off with trellis?
So now I have a lot more ideas from you good people to think about, we do want this finished before Christmas!!!! so we can get it planted.

If it's a bit shady maybe a beach with thistles and dune plants woudn't be good. I should think those types of plants would want a lot of sun and maybe an exposed position.

I think containers and leave slabs down as easy under foot when you walk on them.

Great idea's everyone, Ive seen pics of a makeover (somewhere) in exactly the same sideway garden as this DD There was a couple of raised beds made out of sleepers and at the end was a huge planter with an Architectual Plant, Looked Fab.. The Pergola sounds Fantastic, and the hanging baskets suggested by Spritz, Also i agree with the good folks above, id keep the paving, i really like it and as said they would come up brand new with a jet wash.. just remembered, The makeover pic had lots of lighting for Night time..
Lots of ideas here DD, now you have a bigger problem! which one's you gonna use :))))

Perhaps throw another at you ..? Certainly agree with the pro slab group for reasons given perhaps consider 3 trellis panels two 3 feet wide by water butt and shed on house side then one 4 ft wide half way between two on fence side ?

This would screen area from both gate and garden view whilst allowing access as hubby seems pretty skillful sure he could add planters at base of trellis.

The wider one is needed to reduce wind tunnel effect and prevent a view directly through.

The only problem with a pergola is it can darken area a lot and seem a bit imposing from neighbours side.Esp as a rail would be needed to support timbers which would be their main view.

Higher posts on fence side with wires between would allow montana and other climbers to grow at various heights without cutting down light .

YDD you are right there............I need to do a computer generated layout, if I had the software!!!
BB dont have to worry about the neighbours, we look on to their carport, whatever we do can only be an improvement in their eyes, they have been looking at a building site for over 9 years.
Ideas i like Spritz hanging baskets, BB trellis panels staggered.Containers Clarice, Dorjac, Jacqui,Sanbaz, using some of the slabs as stepping stones, Hywel , now what do I do with 25 bags of gravel?

Don't know. :o(
Maybe you could use them for drainage in tubs. Also for top dressing tubs and pots to deter slugs etc.
25 bags is a lot though. Do you have another part of the garden where you could use them ? Maybe you could have your beach area in another part.

Not really Hywel, would you like them? they are fairly large pebbles too big to top dress unfortunately.

Hi Dottydaisy2, are you ready for my opinion? Hope you're sitting nice and comfortably.........so here it goes :))
Phase 1
I would make a space next to the gate, on the left, big enough to put all your stuff, like the sheds, water butts, wheelbarrow, and all your bits and pieces. To utilize your bags of gravel, use it as a base for that area. The gravel will also act as drainage, especially for water butts. This way, all your bits are in one place, then using trellis panels, cover the lot...full stop...end of story lol !!
Phase 2
I would get rid of your climber and paint the fence white, as this will reflect the light and therefore make it lighter. You can also paint the side wall from the top of your window to the ground in white as well.
Phase 3
Where you have the pink and green waste bags, fill that ditch with the same block pavers you have on the edges. If it was me, I would lay terracotta slabs on top of those slabs, from one end to the other. Terracotta and white walls / fence, equates to a nice courtyard. Because this is a long and narrow area, you can lay concrete railway sleepers across, say about 7 feet apart, starting from the garden end (where I can see decking). This will give it a wider effect, and breaks the monotony as well.
Phase 4
Once everything is done, then you can start getting terracotta pots/containers, seats or any other ornamental pieces. .... All this, and I haven’t spend a penny, and how I wish, I was building this project hehe...!!!

Oh, once you've completed all 4 phases, don’t forget to open a bottle of red and chill out LOL...!!

OMG I dont know what to say, well done, and thanks for your ideas, like the one about painting the walls, husband wont full stop( been down that route) like the idea of putting everything together and hiding it all with trellis.
Also like the sleeper idea, could see that,.the creeper stays it is a beautiful montana and stunning in the spring.
I wish you were building it as well, so I now have several cunning plans, only needs husband to agree to them.........
On second thoughts I might go straight to phase 4......lol

Hi Dotty

I would love to see an update on this space - Did you get it finished? Can we see some piccies?

Hi BC we are in the middle of it, as the winter was so bad we had to put it on hold, started it last week, hope to finish it in about a fortnight, has been hard work to say the least. You will see the piccies as soon as the last plant is planted......

I gree with Jacque, containers are the way to go. I grew french runner beans in containers this year they where tasty. Something to climb over your shed would be nice, dont know what though have only been gardening a few years so am not very knowledgable. I like louis's idea specially the bit about the red wine !

Did you get this finished DD ?

YDD well almost, but not entirely happy.....that is why I have not posted any pictures, as soon as I think it looks ok, I will do promise. I did open a bottle or two as Louis suggested.lol