designing my front garden

[EeyoreIsh]

I have a blank piece of paper with my front garden

it's about 3x4m. South facing. Can be exposed on windy days but mostly feels sheltered. We're coastal, but actually a mile from sea.

The soil is ok (slightly chalky), with lots of pebbles as it was covered in pebbles before. It's also got flints in it.

Ideally we would have a little lawn with lavender borders, but we aren't buying a lawn mower just for the front garden! (back is paved.)

we don't have money for any professional work. I've already bought some lavender.

so...I'd love to have suggestions for how to design it, what plants would work and are low maintenance.

TIA

[Rhubarbgarden]

How about a chamomile lawn? No mowing required.

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

Crambe cordifolia and eryngium maritinum are both lively plants for coastal gardens.

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

Err, lovely.

[EeyoreIsh]

Thanks maud and rhubarb.

Would a camomile lawn not be extortionate? I love the idea though :)

[Rhubarbgarden]

Yes it would! I love the idea of them too though!

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

You'd have to calculate how much a camomile lawn would cost you. Creeping thyme or pennyroyal might work out cheaper.

[TheRealFellatio]

What is there now? Do you have an existing lawn?

[EeyoreIsh]

At the moment there is a buddleia (which grows like a triffid), lots of weeds, flints and ugly paving stones (just set on the soil, no cement or sand under).

To say the previous owners were not gardeners would be an understatement

this is my first house and garden, so I needed something fairly idiot proof, but I'm very keen and happy to put lots of muscle and hard work in.

I do have two skinny olive trees and one stubby one, that could go in. I've also bought 13 lavender bushes (I might have got carried away...).

I love slate chips. I've found somewhere that sells camomile (the lawn variety) that works out at £25 per sqm. so I could afford two square metres of camomile lawn! Or maybe four if I slap it on the credit card...

[missbopeep]

I'd not bother with a lawn. Tiny lawns look a bit twee so why not put chipped flint all over and have your lavvy round the edges?

[missbopeep]

ps- IMO rounded edges look better so maybe a circular area covered in flint, and a mix of lavvy round the edges with some spring bulbs in between? Lavvy looks dead in winter and spring, so you need something else. The olive tree could be a centre piece on the flint.

With such a small area you need to be VERY simple and structured- could you add a shabby chic seat in white wire- or grey iron in one corner? or a small sculpture of some sort?

[EeyoreIsh]

structural like a gnome?

I like the idea of a bench, but DH says no :( I agree that something extra would be lovely.

I love the idea of rounded edges, particularly as I'm not a straight line person!

a plan is starting to take place in my head