Help with the 'pretty bits' of my garden

lisalouaugerQMUo1Vav

Hello all, 
So, we have spent several years getting our garden from a wasteland to a pretty much blank canvas. However, I'm now lost as to where we go from here. Ideas so far include: Bamboo or similar leaf tree/plants either side of pod, with high raised bed to the left with additional seating in bed. (If that makes sense). We need to level a lot of ground where the brick paving has been installed and hope to put in some kind of stone border around this, including the circle area around the pod. For the decking area we were thinking white fencing in the corner with the screens that screw to the fence. The fence line shown looking towards the decking has very poor/shallow soil so planting will be challenging. Also I'm unsure on fence colour. Was thinking all white but don't want to paint it all only to regret it later. We are in the fortunate position to have a good sized garden but now the hard part has been done we're a little lost. Any advice at all would be appreciated 

Uff

Welcome to the forum @lisalouaugerQMUo1Vav
How exciting to create a garden from scratch. My advice is to take your time and enjoy everything you plan and do. 

Fence first and others will come along and suggest ideas on planting etc.
I live in a single story, white painted cottage and on sunny days it's almost impossible to look at the walls without wearing sunglasses so I would advise you to think carefully about painting your fence white. 

lisalouaugerQMUo1Vav

@Uff thank you. I think that is my main concern with white on such a large number of fence panels. It may be the colour stays and I go from there as I don't think it looks awful, I'm mostly unsure of the fence colour around the decking area. Thank you for you response 

Fairygirl

I wouldn't use that amount of white either. Apart from the problems mentioned, it'll be covered in algae in damp winter weather [or at any other time of year]   or in any shady areas, and it'll look dreadful. You'll constantly be repainting it.
Your garden though. 
Are you not having many planted areas other than beside the pod?
Be very careful about bamboo too. If you really, really want it, plant it into large, purpose built containers, similar to what you want to make your raised bed with. Your neighbours will thank you 
Any planting areas will need attention re the soil, so plan where you want them, remove the turf, and then add loads of rotted manure/compost/leaf mould etc, before you get anywhere near to planting anything 
Keep hard landscaping to around three materials at most. Looks messy otherwise. 

Plantminded

Your fencing looks in good order.  Without plants, once you paint it a lighter colour it will become a feature rather than an enclosure!  I'd think about planning some borders to hide your fencing with a combination of trees, shrubs, perennials and grasses, including climbers.  I'd recommend that at least half of the plants are evergreen to give your garden interest over winter. 

It really depends how keen a gardener you are and how much time and budget you have to create your garden.  Think about what you really want from your garden, for example are there any pets or children to consider, do you want a greenhouse or a pond? 

Also check on the aspects of your garden - which areas get the most sun, which are in permanent shade?  You can then select your plants according to their preferred location.

B3

The fence will fade in time to a squirrel grey. I'd leave it and grow stuff up and in front of it.

lisalouaugerQMUo1Vav

Thank you everyone. White is definitely out! No need for bamboo specifically, just something similar that won't swamp the pod completely. Still like the raised bed/seat to the left of pod and would like some border along the other fence line. Sun wise it's in full Sun around late morning/midday (no sunny summer evenings unfortunately.) No pets and children are teens who avoid natural light! Happy with weeding/pruning but by no means an expert gardener so probably no need for a greenhouse. 

Plantminded

Knowing your situation better now, I'd concentate on the pod and raised bed area to get going and get a feel for the plants that you like.  A sunny aspect is ideal for many plants so you have a wide range of choices.  A lot is down to personal taste.  Have a look around your local garden centre or a botanic garden to see which plants appeal to you.  I'd advise you to include a good proportion of evergreens to make sure your garden has interest over winter. 

If you want seclusion near your pod without the fear of bamboo getting out of hand, some of the tall ornamental grasses might suit you.  I'd recommend any Miscanthus species, particularly M. malepartus or M. zebrinus, Calamagrostis Karl Foerster or Stipa gigantea.  They will also give interest in winter with their fading flower stems and movement.  It depends on whether you like grasses!  Have a look at this website for some inspiration: Knoll Gardens | Ornamental Grasses and Flowering Perennials

This is some advice I gave to another poster planning a raised bed/wall earlier this week:  I'd choose maybe five different plants of different forms (eg rounded, columnar, spiky, cascading), buying two or three of each species and planting them in a repeat pattern. This will give your planting rhythm and make it feel complete and easy on the eye.  It's important that you choose what you like though!  Also make sure that the soil in your wall is well prepared, using a mix of topsoil, compost and grit to obtain the optimum growing medium.

Hope this helps.