Camouflaging Garage and using wasted space

rboswell0312

Hey everyone. 
Got a bit of a challenge in my new garden I'm developing and would love some help/advice. 

We have a very long garden with different sections - large patio outside back door, space in front of garage (which is the space in question), patio and garden behind the garage and then vegetable garden at the top of the garden. 

The previous owners had built the garage and plonked it directly in the middle of the garden. Didn't bother me at first but now we sit out with friends and family in the summer with a cave of all our stuff looking at us. I would also love to do something with the drive area as this is wasted space (can't get a car up there anyway). 

I just can't visualise what to do here, so any ideas would be appreciated. 

Many thanks 
Rachel 

AnniD

If you can't get a car up the driveway into it, then it seems the most obvious thing to do is get rid of the garage .
I appreciate that maybe for cost reasons you might not want to do this, but if it's just sitting there doing nothing except acting as a giant dumping ground,then maybe it's something to consider.
You could replace it with a shed further down the garden to store your stuff.

Is your garden sunny or shady, and what sort of style do you like, contemporary or more cottage garden ?
You could lift some of the paving in front of the garage door and turn that into a flower bed for planting climbers using trellis or vine eyes and wires to train them up. I would probably paint the garage door first, possibly a sage green colour so that it looks less like a black hole .
Then maybe attach a pergola between the garage and fence and train a climer over that so that it looks like an entrance into the next section of garden. Hope that makes sense.
That's my input, l'm sure there will be others 

rboswell0312

Thank you for your reply AnniD.

Unfortunately getting rid of the garage isn't an option due to costs and not having enough space to put storage somewhere else without having the same issue or taking away prime garden space. Lessen learned for the next house.

The garage door is already green and is an electrical one. I'd feel better with old school wooden doors but hubby isn't willing to get rid of the "practical" one lol. 

The garden is east facing and driveway gets the sun most of the day - it does get very hot! 

I love cottage style and like your ideas of removing some of the block paving and incorporating some beds in the middle. Perhaps even a tree. Your ideas have definitely helped get some ideas on the go. 

Many thanks 😊 

Mrs-B3-Southampton,-Hants

My in-laws had a garage positioned like that. Paint and clever trelliswork with climbing roses worked wonders.

rboswell0312

Yes, thats a great idea. Thanks for your comment.
I'm growing a vine up the side and a strawberry wall on the back. Its the front thats the issue though. 

Obelixx

I would get a Karcher and clean up bot the access to teh garage and those slabs.  Then repair those fallen fence panels.  That will make the whole thing look better.

Then I'd get some treelis built across the drive to hide the garage but leave enough space for access to open the doot and get stuff in and out.   You can then turn the drive into a seating area which will be south facing so sunny.  For privacy, and shade if needed, you could erect a pergola over the drive and then have some pots of easy care plants for colour and perfume eg lavender and herbs for cooking indoors and BBQing outside.  You could grow a grapevine up and over the trellis and/or pergola or some honeysuckle if you want perfume instead.  Or just some outdoor fair lights if you like them.

Some climbing or rambling roses over the right hand fence would improve the view from both house and new terrace.

rboswell0312

Great, thanks so much for all your ideas. 
The picture is a few years old now so the fence is mended and garden is a lot tidier. Plus it was taken in winter so my borders are a little prettier now lol
Have thought about seating, pergola etc but the drive is on a slant unfortunately and we really don't want to spend thousands to re-landscape that area. Plus we have a massive patio with seating, bbq and pizza oven that gets the sun already. 
Its such a tricky area that doesn't offer anything.

Mrs-B3-Southampton,-Hants

Take the bricks up, sell them and buy a load of gravel and   some drought-resistant plants!!

Obelixx

It does seem rather perverse to ask for design ideas, forget to tell us it's on a slope and then say you can't or won't spend any money on it.

Take up a few bricks and see what they're laid on.  If it's concrete, give up and live with it.  If its just hard core or gravel or sand, dig it out bit by bit and level it and then you can either have a stepped display on 2 or 3 levels and build raised beds for planting herbs, veggies, ornamentals.  Recycle the bricks as paths and maybe add a water feature.

rboswell0312

Obelixx said:

It does seem rather perverse to ask for design ideas, forget to tell us it's on a slope and then say you can't or won't spend any money on it.

Take up a few bricks and see what they're laid on.  If it's concrete, give up and live with it.  If its just hard core or gravel or sand, dig it out bit by bit and level it and then you can either have a stepped display on 2 or 3 levels and build raised beds for planting herbs, veggies, ornamentals.  Recycle the bricks as paths and maybe add a water feature.

I feel that's an unnecessary comment. I didn't forget anything thank you very much. I don't know what information to share or what information is needed which is why I included a picture. I'm an amateur gardener and felt I could get some help & inspiration from people who would be supportive. Please don't comment again if you're going to try and bully me. 

Uff

With respect @rboswell0312 I can only think of one professional gardener on the forum so most of us are amateurs. I understand that you are fairly new to gardening and members on here are more than willing to give any advice that's asked for. In turn, they too ask for advice sometimes. So far they have given you some nice ideas to brighten your garden. 

The photo in your original post doesn't show that the drive is on a slope and was only mentioned 3 days after the OP. It's an important feature and can be used to your advantage but sometimes dictates (depending on the % of slope) what can be planted. Now that members know that I'm sure they will give you more ideas.