i think profesional gardeners tend to split the garden up so your affectively walking thro one garden to get to the next you coud use plants, trellis arches etc to do this but sounds like hard work pauline so think carefully !!

Mine's quite narrow Great. I don't even have a lawn. I just fill containers and hanging baskets and have a few clematis in pots growing up wigwams. I try to get a few perennials every year and buy small annual bedding plants and grow them on. I have a honeysuckle growing up a fanned trellis and this is just in a pot and does well. Mine's pretty much hit and miss but usually everything looks good come June or so (depending on the weather)! Enjoy....:o)

Thanks Guys. I was thinking today of dividing my garden into 3 parts.A veggie patch a seating patch with flowers and a utility bit. i,e for a round washing line. I was thinking of dividing it with a lavender hedge with a gap in the middle to walk through. Then I was thinking of having 3 or so chickems but don't know if it would work. Never kept chickens before. A bit frightened tell the truth what with the neighbours and foxes and the council. I have only fences seperating the gardens, no walls. Plus this is inner London!!

go to garden pictures at top of page and view back garden ideas - might give you some inspiration

i did Viv but the gardens are not tiny there huge!!

We used to have a narrow garden (how narrow is Narrow?) It was 18feet. we had patio. Rose bed, bit of lawn, small pond, archway(2 old cart wheels either side of) plus some trellis, and then a vegetable patch. Compost heaps. Gardening is much more adventurous than that now, so I am sure you could do better. We had foxes in our present garden. Daddy fox brought someones pet bunny for dinner for the cubs... so you do have to be careful!

Try looking at what gardeners do not their garden size e.g a patio area can be any size?
Also side garden ideas on Goypeadia has some good ideas for narrow spaces.

Hi, I've just looked at your pics. You have a great space. Its nice and long and looks at least 15-20ft wide.
Mine is 60ft long and 30ft wide. I have pinched a bit of extra space at the bottom of my garden from some waste ground to make veggi beds and a wildlife pond though.

My garden has different areas. I have a shady area, as there are conifers there and I belive in going with what you have rather than fight against it. Some old brick paths that I laid my self by digging a hole with a trowel then stamping them in position.
I have a boggy area as it often hold lots of water.

Make your paths curvy and interesting. Get some plants to give you some height. Some you can utilise as a screen such as bamboo.

I cover my veg beds with some netting to stop birds, cats, squirels and foxes.
Ive made my own veg beds out of old pallets as well as my compost bins.
We have been in this garden since june 06, and it was just lawn, so with a bit of time things can be achieved.

No TT think it is 12 or 13 feet wide... I'll check lol. What have you got in your shady area??? Have fruit tress so dont want any more and no big shrubs. I think my veg beds are too spaced out. Had a pond until my frogs hopped it through the fence to the pond 3 doors down lol and it cracked. I do have fox gloves coming up. You can't see them at the mo. I have ordered a fruit cage to stop the birds nicking my stuff ha ha

Have a look at my pics. Veg beds are quite close together, due to space. Shady area snowdrops, followed by forget me knots and Aqualigas, violets, ferns, ajugas, primrose, muscarii, snakes head frittallria, hostas an Arum lily some tree ferns.
You can get small hebes, pots of lillies from B&Q small box hedging to edge veg beds and borders.
Theres quite a bit out there thats quite cheap. Hostas are usually cheap around now before they start into growth, when they then charge more.

TT I have had a look at your garden and its fab!!!!! absolutely fab!!!! Conker is so beutiful not forgetting your othe pets there all lovely. loned the aubertia paths

We had a garden like yours once and a similar house. It is so daunting to think what to do in house and garden. No wonder you want your adult children to help you. We had a 5 year plan for the house and garden. I think we did most of it on our own. If someone else does it, its so expensive, as in the garden we are in now. We drew a plan, and had a landscaper in to do the hard work. What a good idea to raise your beds up to grow veggies. Maybe you could slowly go out from each bed with whatever surfaces you decide on with winding paths to each one. Placing some sort of plant screen at intervals to break up the length. Roses, apple cordons, a thornless blackberry support, bamboo screen etc. A row of raspberries, or jostberry then a veggie bed.