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Reviving an old slightly tired garden

I've created this thread for progress of my garden from start to finish. We moved into our house last year and the garden was quite mature in places, but needed an update and what the previous owner thought were plants, were actually Ground Elder. Needless to say it choked a lot of the plants, and i've had to be ruthless with it in attacking it. Glyphosate has been my partner in reducing the weeds in the garden!

I didnt intend on starting the garden yet, but after removing a rotten old deck which was standing outside of our french doors, I got pushed into starting it by my wife. 

Some of the earliest photos of it just after we moved in. 

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/robchester/2013-05-24204911_zpsf7d51669.jpg

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/robchester/2013-05-24204851_zpsbd4a12e9.jpg

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/robchester/20130604_200850_zps58de0ba1.jpg

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/robchester/20130604_200856_zpsf36d7182.jpg

 

The first thing I wanted to do was to ensure that the fences were solid and after several blew down over winter, I got someone in to do it in early spring this year. It was quicker and not much more expensive than what it would have cost me to do it myself. Fencers at work:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/robchester/2014-04-23131611_zpsbe61562e.jpg

 

So at the start of August, I then began ripping up the rotten old bit of deck and then knocking the wall down. I wanted the bricks to block an old side doorway which was in the garage (which is the building behind the green shed). It was this which prompted my wife to tell me to get cracking! I was quite happy to leave it until next spring. 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/robchester/2014-08-12093514_zpsf3c4731c.jpg

 From the above picture you can also just make out a patio base for a new shed which I made out of the old path through the centre of the garden.

 

Looking bigger already!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/robchester/2014-08-12093527_zps7e49bcca.jpg

 

 

 

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  • The previous design didnt really work for us. I think the previous owners had filled in an old pond, and had added bits here and there but there was just too much going on. Although the area of deck/patio was large, the wall was dividing it up so neither was that big to dine on. I wanted the grass to be one complete piece and I wanted to get rid of a lot of the concrete which appeared to be causing issues with standing water. 

    I'd done a fair bit of work with the grass over this last year, and it has improved greatly however there is still a fair bit of clover in parts which needs more work. Regularly mowed and treated, I've scarified it once but plan to do it again early next year. 

    Anyway, this top down basic design image was something I had in mind. Decking in front of the doors, a larger area of grass with peripheral borders and the shed in the top corner. I had a basic plan of gravel/revived slabs between garden room and garage however, this still isnt set in stone even at this point. 

    http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/robchester/Screenshot2014-08-12215723_zps3e0dc1dd.png

     

    I then carried out by removing the old patio with a view to re-using these slabs as they are a bit more decorative than the pink and yellow ones outside of the door. 

    http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/robchester/2014-08-13202453_zpsaaa846d6.jpg

     The new shed arrived and was put in place, and the old lean to shed off the back of the garage was taken down. 

    http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/robchester/2014-08-13202509_zps7386ad73.jpg

     I then had the arduous task of beginning the demolition of concrete. Under the old shed it was 8 inches thick (no idea why) so it took a lot of sweat toil and skips to remove it all. I also began digging out the area in front of the french doors. This took me into the second week of August.

     

    http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/robchester/2014-08-16120604_zps2e72b2dc.jpg

     By the end of week 3, the decking had begun taking shape. I know there are those who hate decks, and those who love them. I quite fond of their warm soft surface, and I've taken steps to prevent rodent access by blocking the holes underneath off so that the blighters can't get in. In our old house, we had it for 7 years without issue so hopefully this will be the same. 

    http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/robchester/IMG_20140825_184933_zpsoyvvirl5.jpg

     

  •  Work slowed with having to go to work, so it took until the first week of September to get this done:

    http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/robchester/2014-09-06122932_zpsfd0c5cc5.jpg

    The site of the old shed became a site for dumping the soil removed.  

    http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/robchester/2014-09-06122959_zps5b0db42c.jpg

     Trying to keep the site as tidy as possible! The planters were finished off with the deck, and some lighting was put in there. I needed to clear the rest of the concrete from the area between the garden room and garage and then sort the whole area out for seeding grass.

    http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/robchester/2014-09-06193111_zps565ea9ca.jpg

     So i dug over the areas, dug out any heavy clay, order 3 tonnes of topsoil (which ended up being nearly 4) to add to about half a tonne I already had. I then removed the stepping stones which used to go to an old concrete area, and levelled, walked over, levelled, walked over, levelled, raked, raked and raked again to get any large bits off the surface. 

    http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/robchester/2014-09-17154022_zpseb66423e.jpg

     

    http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/robchester/2014-09-17154018_zpse6cdff8a.jpg

     

    http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/robchester/2014-09-17154016_zpsa0f1610f.jpg

     And this was sown last Wednesday. A week on, and i'm just beginning to see a few little green shoots coming up. I'll keep updating this to show how things are progressing. I apologise to those who wanted to see plants, but this will develop over the coming months. I'll have many questions which I hope people can answer for me. 

  • Great job and congratulations on developing a space you and your family are going to have much enjoyment in. As you complete your basic structures it is probably time to start to think about the soft landscaping. Late summer/early autumn is a good time to plant the trees and shrubs you may have in mind.

    It's your garden and you must make your own choices in this too. All gardeners learn as they go and constantly change things. Just a couple of comments from someone who has made plenty of changes over the years image.

    I am not sure if you are asking for advice at this stage. However on the assumption that you wouldn't be here if you weren't beginning to think about starting planting here goes.

     I think you said earlier "less is more" and I would be careful not to over design or overload your planting plan. Second I would think about how wide should be your borders and third I would suggest your largely rectilinear shapes need a few curves in the soft landscaping shapes. Sweeping is better than fiddly.

  • Forester2Forester2 Posts: 1,477

    Your wife must be very proud of you as you have worked very hard.  I like the solid looking fencing.  Good luck with the next stage of it's development.  

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117

    cc - take a well earned break now  - you deserve it!  image

    I know how much graft's involved doing that kind of stuff so give yourself a little rest to think about the planting and the other changes you still want. The bones are all there now so have a bit of fun thinking about the lovely plants you can put in or start growing for next spring and summer  image

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,032

    Well done. I like the way you've done different levels and a planter on the decking.

    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • Thanks all, woke up this morning to the first green shoots of the new grass. We had plenty rain yesterday and bright sunshine this morning so its good weather for it at the moment!

    Woodgreen, you're absolutely right, I am already thinking soft landscaping, as theres a lot of angles at the moment which need softening off. I need to think about whats going in the borders, and how wide I now need to make them to get the desired effect. I did think about planning over the winter ready to plant out shrubs in spring, along with any perennials/annuals that are going in for the summer. When you say not to over design or overload, what do you mean? 

    I've got a list of plants which I like, which I'll post later to see what people think. I'll also get some better photos of the progress. It still looks a bit like a working site at the moment as I'm trying to move everything about whilst the grass establishes itself. I'll then cut into it to get my edging sorted. 

     

  • artjakartjak Posts: 4,167

    What a lot of hard work; it's going to look brilliant. I like the fact that it is simple blocks/areas and not fiddly. I'm slightly puzzled about the shallow raised area on the decking with lights in and a planter each side. Is it for sitting on?image

  • LesleyKLesleyK Posts: 4,029

    That is an immense amount of work to get through in the timeframe chicken chaser. Kudos to youimage

    It is worth taking time to think about what you want to plant in the spring but it wouldn't do any harm to plant a few bulbs now to give you early colourimage.  Looking forward to the next instalment.

  • Hi, what are the basic dimensions of your plot?

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