New build garden - What to do?!

bernie.at.home

Hello all,

I have recently moved to a new build home and would like your help transforming the garden into a space which can be enjoyed.

You will see from the photos that the left hand side receives the most sunlight and preferably I would like to have a seating area in the back left hand corner. A small area to grow herbs and vegetables would be nice too.

I do not wish to have grass which requires mowing and instead the idea of wild flower turf in small quantities appeals to make the space as nature friendly as possible, together with raised sleeper beds. What materials and plants would you suggest?

Any help streamlining these ideas into a plan would be very much appreciated.

Athelas

You could do something like the picture below, but reorient so the seating area is in sun, and use wildflowers or low groundcover plants instead of a lawn, plus remove the greenhouse — though a small shed for storage is always useful. Found it on a Google search for narrow garden designs (I also have a new build garden), it links to backyard gardening today.com but I couldn’t find more info.

There’s also the garden design by Rebecca Wallman shown at the bottom of the page here: https://globalstonepaving.co.uk/bentley-garden-show/. It’s a bit boxy but she lists the plants used which could be a good start when thinking about plants: http://www.rebeccawallmangardendesign.co.uk/Show-Garden.php

Lizzie27

That's a lovely design @Athelas, thanks for sharing.
Another design trick is to divide the garden into thirds and do 3 squares, but on the diagonal, so you could have one paved area in the sunny corner, one area of wildflower turf and one for veggies etc.
I wouldn't bother with raised sleeper beds unless you need them, you can't put soil against the fences so they would need a waterproof barrier.  
Were you thinking of taking up all the turf? What would you do with it?

Athelas

@Lizzie27, yes that’s a great tip — something like the below (from https://www.gardenoholic.com/narrow-garden-20-smart-design-and-decor-ideas/ ) minus the jacuzzi?

@bernie.at.home, what are the dimensions of the garden, and what direction does it face? It looks more square in the first few photos, but rectangular in the last one.

Also, the soil in new build gardens is often poor and full of rubble; more here: https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/homes-and-property/gardens/after-the-builders-have-left-first-sort-the-soil-in-your-new-garden-1.2850584 (but I agree with Lizzie not to bother with raised beds).