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Help re garden design - Cotswolds

Bolt123Bolt123 Posts: 8
in Garden design

 

Hello All,  We have been in our house for 3 years and although the house is a new build the back garden is large for a new house.  We are trying to decide what to do with the left hand side of the garden.  I thought of a hefty border running down the whole length of the garden with lots of large shrubs.  The left hand side is right up against our neighbours garden. Does any one need any further pictures?   


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  • bullfinchbullfinch SurreyPosts: 295
    What a lovely garden already. And what a lovely dog too.
  • Bolt123Bolt123 Posts: 8
    Sorry, the dog got into the photo (he gets into all of them tbh!).  The arches were a bit marmite but they have just been put in and there will be climbers all over them as the years go on.  We wanted something a bit modern and quirky. 
  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 5,965
    It is a lovely garden. Normally l'd suggest curved borders, but l think in view of what you already have,  l would keep it straight.
    Can you tell us what the soil is like,  is it sunny or shady ?
    Do you want evergreen shrubs, or things such as roses for some colour as well? 
    Also are you a fan of variegated shrubs ?
  • SarSpudSarSpud Posts: 46
    What do you use the garden for? Is it for entertaining, children, animals, wildlife friendly? 
    There’s lots people could suggest but knowing more about what you want to use it for helps. 
    It’s a nice garden, are you just fed up of the expanse of grass?
    You could edge the whole path with flowers, then have a path towards the left leading to more flower beds, or a pond, or a patio area, or vegetable patches. Lots of choice, it all depends on what you want to use it for 🙂
  • Bolt123Bolt123 Posts: 8

    Another picture which hopefully is clearer (see below)



  • Bolt123Bolt123 Posts: 8

    Hello,  largely sunny, garden is west facing, Soil is heavy clay and yes we like evergreen and variegated shrubs
  • Bolt123Bolt123 Posts: 8

    Thank you for the responses,  we do have a dog who uses the garden extensively!  We already have raised vegetable boxes the other side so wouldn't want any more.  Our children are grown up. 

    As the garden is the patio, then some steps and then another level I guess its rather unusual.  We are overlooking open fields which are very unlikely to be built on.



  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 5,965
    edited June 2019
     Cotoneaster franchetii is my first thought, it may be considered a bit "car park shrub" as cotoneaster are so common, but there's a good reason for that, they are tough things ! 
    Possibly holly, and also euonymus that come in various colours . I'm sure others will have suggestions. 
    By the way, I have serious garden envy !  :)
  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Bath, SomersetPosts: 4,990
    Lovely garden! You could look at pittosporum which comes in plain green or variegated options, magnolia stellata, cotinus, shrub roses, lilac, just for starters.  
  • raisingirlraisingirl East Devon, on the Edge of Exmoor.Posts: 3,817
    Your soil is most likely quite limey, being Cotswold? Lilac is a good shout, in that case. Weigela would give you a big splash of colour about now. Philadelphus for fragrance. Roses love clay. Some viburnum might be good - tinus which is evergreen so needs some shelter from cold wind and bodnantense which is tougher, not evergreen but it is winter flowering.

    I'd suggest you form a backbone of large shrubs or small trees (amelanchier? isn't keen on too much lime so depends on your soil) and infill with grasses and herbaceous perennials. 

    If you're North Cotswolds, have you been to Hidcote? Some lovely border planting ideas there. If you're south then Westonbirt has some really lovely plant combinations and you can get dwarf versions of a lot of the plants so you can scale it down. You could also keep an eye out for tour days at Prince Charles' house at Highgrove - I've not been but I've heard good things about it  :)

    If you're high up on the western edges, by the Birdlip or Snowshill and your garden is quite open to the West,  you may find evergreens are quite hard to keep alive, apart from the really tough ones like juniper and holly. Cold winds can burn the leaves off even quite hardy plants, IME.
    But if you're somewhere over the East, or down in the Stroud Valleys, where it's a bit kinder, you'll be able to grow a much wider range of things.
    “This isn't life in the fast lane, it's life in the oncoming traffic.”
    ― Terry Pratchett
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