By Shahida
essex, United Kingdom
I have quite a long garden.5/6 years ago I had have landscaped professionally but now I would like to change the layout again. Any suggestions????
- 18 Apr, 2011
Answers
I'd divide it across the width with one or two dividers into 2 or 3 different areas. Just past the bench there are 2 trees, or are they a tree and a bush? That could be the basis of a shrubbery divider. You could have a trellis fence with an archway or two reaching from roughly where the pot on the tripod is to the other planter. You could grow climbers on it, so that you can't see straight through so creating an air of mystery leading you on from one section to the next.
Of course, if you have kids who want or will want space to kick balls around, it would be better to wait til they've outgrown that phase.
18 Apr, 2011
Personally unless you have small children who need a piece of grass to play on I'd get rid of most, if not all, of it. Create 'rooms' as suggested above using trees/shrubs/other dividers so that the journey down your garden is full of interest.
18 Apr, 2011
Lovely big space, and everything so neat and beautifully cared for.
While you are dividing the garden into two compartments I would do it in such a way as to take advantage of one or two of the wiggles in the path , and plant something for the path to curve round. If you are wanting to be really radical you could change the path on the left side to widen the border, increasing the curve between the bench and the pots. I would also get rid of the separate pots on the lawn - it would look better and be easier to manage if you either planted direct into the ground, group your pots much more closely perhaps on slabs or pebbles, or else have one larger container instead of three separate ones. One large dramatic thing is often more effective than several small ones.
Where you actually divide the garden, and how high you make the screen depends very much on the aspect and therefore where the sun and shadows will fall at various times of the day.
Love your swan! Good luck - hard work ahead.
18 Apr, 2011
There are several good ideas here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31559373@N00/3294073822/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31559373@N00/3293248645/
18 Apr, 2011
If like me you're not into 'rooms' and screens. you could create extra island beds in the lawn, with small evergreen shrubs and loads of flowering perennials. You could dig the paths up and replace through the lawn and round extra beds.
19 Apr, 2011
Depends how much uproar you want and how much you want to spend, but if it were mine, out would go those wiggly paths, borders would be widened, trellis sections up to section off the garden, with lots more lovely, lovely planting, this time creating a layered effect because the borders/planting areas aren't too narrow... Unless you need all that grass for kids, dogs, etc. Ooh, it makes my fingers itch to get stuck in....
19 Apr, 2011
thanks a lot ,all members.I was thinking to get rid of the bricks but was not sure.It is a lot of work and I have spent lot of money on flowers.the other thing is ,soil of the garden is not well drained,many plants and shrubs do not grow in clay soil.
Thanks once again
19 Apr, 2011
Good luck and remember to post some photos after you've transformed the garden
19 Apr, 2011
Shahida, if its any comfort, you don't need to lose the plants you've got - you might have to rejig them by moving them around, but there's no need to lose any of them at all. And clay soil, in fact, is much better for most plants than looser, sandy stuff.
20 Apr, 2011
Thanks,I know clay soil is good but mine is not well drained when there is a rain water clog and most of my plants die.You will be surprised that very many bedding plants/flowers don't grow in the soil so i make trays and pots.I read online and planted those shrubs and trees which grows in this sort of soil.I have Salix which are growing well.I have changed so many time new soil also.
20 Apr, 2011
The answer for heavy clay soil like that is, funnily enough, the same as the answer for light, sandy soil - plenty of humus rich material, so as much well composted material as you can get hold of, added to the borders as often as possible, certainly every spring/autumn.
20 Apr, 2011
thank you
20 Apr, 2011
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I think I would put barriers/screens half across the garden so that you have surprises behind the screening. does that make sense?
18 Apr, 2011