New build house looking for ideas for the garden
wilbert
Posts: 7
Hello I have just moved in to a new build house with my first garden and I'm looking for some ideas. I'd like some borders and a patio/decked area for a table and chairs. I will upload some pictures and the measurements of the garden. I'm thinking of a patio or decked area at the bottom of the garden with a matching /coordinating path to replace the paving slabs currently down along the wall of the house and down to the new patio area with an area for wheelie bin storage near the house. I'd like possibly some raised borders I was thinking of chunky wood, like railway sleeper then lawn. Not sure whether to put borders all round of just down one side. One side is fence the other is the wall of the garage. Any suggestions or recommendations would be appreciated.
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First start with preparation. Clay subsoil over builders rubble is not a good start. That is what builders usually leave behind.
Well, if it were mine I would have a good deep border on the right in a sweeping curve on across the back, to give room for some decent size shrubs and a small tree or two for some privacy, as well as perennials in front. That wall on the left is just crying out for some climbers, so a narrower border in front of that and get some vine eyes and horizonal wires in and start researching roses and clematis
That funny little bit behind the garage is perfect for the compost bins to be easily screened off with some trellis and more climbers and then have the seating area in front, if that end of the garden is sunnier than by the house.
But if you know what you want, then the first thing is to decide on the best place for it and only make your paths once you know where they need to go.
Gardens are more interesting if you can't see everything at once, so screens help or you could have a bed away from the boundary with your seating area or a path going behind it.
Large curves look more natural and are easier to mow round than little squiggly ones, unless you want straight lines for a formal /symmetrical look with squares and rectangles.
Always make your borders much deeper than you first thought. They will look narrower once made and if they started narrow they will look mean and be hard to plant well.
Plan well and do the preparation well. It will be hard work, but if you do it well you will only have to do it once
I'm in the north east of England on the coast.
If I stand at the back door the garden faces north. I seem to get sun at the bottom of the garden on an afternoon none of the neighbouring houses seem to block it very much with it being on the end of the street.
The top of the garden nearest the house seems quite shaded to the left but brighter to the right.
I've only been in the house for two weeks but am keen to make a start on the garden (once it stops raining!)
I think I need to perhaps dig up a small patch of turf nd look at what is underneath and determine the soil type.
I would like to incorporate an area that is either decked or paved to put the table and chairs on, would to keep some grass for the dogs to sunbathe on and like the idea of the beds being raised slightly (will hopefully prevent the dogs digging in them!)
It's hard to imagine what is possible in the garden. This is my first garden in my previous house I just had planters and pots. I'm willing to invest some time and money into getting it right but need some inspiration on what is right for the space.
I hope to plant with purple/blue colours, I've brought my pots with me so hope to plant some of those into the borders once in place.
Nice sized garden for a new build, much better than what you get down south! I had railway sleepers in my old garden and made the corner a 45 degree angle so you could do that to mirror the shape of the fence in that corner. Gives a lovely high straight edge to cut the lawn to and would help stop the dogs a bit maybe.
It sounds like you quite like a turfed garden so you might not want to do too much. Perhaps put a raised patio in the spot that gets sun when you most enjoy it (probably mid-late afternoon so you can dine outside in the summer). You could border this with railway sleepers which always look nice. If raising it isn't worth the bother (cheaper, quicker etc.) fill up some pots with your favourite annuals and border it with that. Or... don't raise the patio but enclose it with raised beds to offer some separation (and you can smell the flowers more this way).
Maybe train some fruit trees along the left-hand and rear fences (wherever there's no patio)? Brightens up the garden in spring and because Apples are unrealistically expensive!