Front "garden" needs some inspiration!
Clarington
Posts: 4,949
I have a front garden, truth be told it currently holds a long wheel base ex-police riot van, a large LandRover, a little Peugeot, and my partners big estate car so parking is a priority! But at the very front where the fence runs we've a little patch of nothingness.
The first image shows the view from our lounge window when there's not a car in the way!
We're having the gate widened to accommodate the fact that I have less than an inch spare to get the van through and we're wanting a caravan so the extra wiggle room the better! We've already had to remove the holly tree (not shown) which in our opinion was the prettiest part of the front. Its very shady - doesn't get any direct sun and as you can see the ground is further shaded by the large bushes that give us a little privacy.
Once the gate is in place I'm trying to think how to make the best of this little area. It is no secret my main joys are fruit and vegetables but with car fumes, neighbours cats, children on their way to school dropping litter this is hardly the place.
Initially I was thinking of just wood chipping the ground and leaving it very bare but "clean, low maintenance, and dog friendly (all priorities for this area).
Can anyone recommend anything a little more interesting?
Posts
This is the view from the window. I'm having technical issues!
There's going to be about 1 - 2ft less ground area nearest the white vehicle to play with.
don't forget to leave at least a meter round each vehicle to be trampled and contaminated with noxious chemicals in the name of vehicle maintenance
In the sticks near Peterborough
I think I would raise the canopy of the bush you've got there to get abit more light in and hopefully abit more space for plants. I would have sedums and some low growing plants like alpines and plant some spring bulbs too.
Nutty - the driveway is plenty large enough for trampling and toxics associated with vehicles. We're not going to have any edibles on the front as it's really not suitable but would like a few hardy plants that'd put up with rhis punishment!
Thanks GardenMaiden - I'll have a go at cutting the tree to let more light in and will find a website on alpines to see what might look nice.
If it doesn't get much sun you could plant something like hardy fuschias.
my first choice for shade is always ferns - you couldhave a nice collection there, with the tall ostrich ones at the back and the painted japanese ones at the front
I'd plant lots of tete a tete narcissi and some low growing tulips like - Little red riding hood now to give a lovely show from Feb/March. An evergreen geranium - Geranium macrorrhizum would offer you low maintenance ground cover with interest throughout the year not leaving any place for cats' calling cards! A few sedums (in sun) dotted through would add height, texture and flowers at a different time of year or as suggested above some ferns(shade).
https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/93462/Geranium-macrorrhizum-Bevan-s-Variety/Details