rental garden - advice welcome!

MelBel

We are currently renting and therefore not allowed to do any landscaping. We would love to be able to enjoy the garden but the terrain is not only incredibly uneven but also on an incline as you walk away from the house. The soil is a mixture of grass, weeds and rocks (can't use lawnmower so a grass trimmer and weedkiller are the only options). We'd love to have a (temporary) decking of some sort for a seating area and some easy to care for plants. However, any and all ideas are very welcome as we're very inexperienced with gardening so there may be something else that would work we haven't thought about.

A bit at a loss at how we can make this a bit more presentable without breaching our contract or spending a fortune so any help would be greatly appreciated!

Hampshire_Hog

@MelBel Can you supply a photo this will give people more idea and allow more constructive answers.

I would say decking would kill anything below due to lack of light so when you leave and take it up you would be left with a bare patch of ground, pots and troughs are probably the way to go for planting they can be moved around and change with the seasons.

AnniD

I'd definitely look at the pots option, that way you can take them with you when you move. Another thing is how much time do you want to spend gardening (as opposed to in the garden barbecuing etc) ? As Hampshire hog says, a photo would be a great help. 

WillDB

I would discuss with your landlord, they might be pleased if you did some landscaping especially if low maintenance - e.g. a levelled and slabbed patio area.

philippa smith2

Certainly check with your landlord before you start doing any hard landscaping and expending too much money.
I can't particularly think of any "temporary" decking and it is doubtful whether you would want the hassle of laying something similar and then attempting to take it with you when you move on.
Pots and lightweight trellis which can easily be removed if necessary may be a better bet.  As above, photos would help others to make some suggestions.

josusa47

Surely your landlord wouldn't object to you improving the lawn? Digging out stones, weeds and coarse grasses, and evening out bumps and hollows, could only be an improvement.  You might even get him/her to cover your costs or at least make a contribution.

MelBel

Thanks everyone for the very helpful comments. I will certainly explore all options but in the meantime here are some photos of the current state.. 

AnniD

Well, that is a lawn in it's loosest sense ! 
To be honest l would have thought the landlord would be happy with any improvement,  but you never can tell. If you did want a lawn (and they are agreeable), there would be quite a bit of preparation involved. It may be better to lay gravel perhaps. It seems very shady, so a lawn may struggle. 

MelBel

AnniD said:

Well, that is a lawn in it's loosest sense ! 
To be honest l would have thought the landlord would be happy with any improvement,  but you never can tell. If you did want a lawn (and they are agreeable), there would be quite a bit of preparation involved. It may be better to lay gravel perhaps. It seems very shady, so a lawn may struggle. 

@AnniD, my thoughts exactly.. it really is shady, there's tall trees all around us so gravel seems more suitable. Thank you!

Fire

I would go with bark chips and pots. It doesn't look too weedy. Looks like it was all covered with gravel at some point. You could put in some shade loving climbers on the fences.

MelBel

@Fire thank you!