Small project front garden pic help

[Youagain2025]

I need to sort out my front garden . I have done it a few times But it always ends up on a mess so I think i need to make it as practical as possible.

I have shown a pic to try and explain what I want to do. Its an old pic though..

So where the weed membrane is at the moment I have shingle. I'm thinking about getting rid of that . Making that area solid so I can put my bins there . I have 4

But im also thinking before I actually put the bins in is to have narrow raise planters so it gos up to the level of the wall. I can then add plants which will the show through the railings. And sort of hide the bins .

If you're going to put your bins there then why not have a bin store, and plant something shrubby between the bin store and the wall with the railings to make it look more attractive. Our bin store is under a window at the front of the house, which never gets any direct sunlight. We have a tub with a shrub in it between the bin store and the front door and have planted a hydrangea petiolaris (climbing hydrangea) next to the wall by the bin store, which is gradually covering both the wall and the bin store. It is slow growing and doesn't take over like ivy or Virginia creeper, so easy to keep in check.

If you don't put your bins there then I would pave it or put down gravel, and have lots of pots.

Instead of using a raised planter, why not just plant a climbing plant there at the base of the wall instead? Then you can train it to weave in and out of the railings. Anything in a planter or pot would need watering.

I don't have the room to do that.

In a nut shell I won't look after it. The railings are only about a 1.5 foot tall . I want it easy and practical.

You will have to look after the plants in the planter though, a climbing plant might need less work

You can get living roof bin stores. Keeps the bins out of sight and has a pretty top. Something like alpine plants, sedum or sempervivum would be low maintenance.

If the railing are so short why not just leave the area of the proposed raised bed as earth and plant taller plants there? They will do better with less maintenance needed is they are at ground level.

A tall row of salvia would look nice

But you’ll have to look after anything you plant…?

The problem is I need the bins to go in space I have shown there is no where else. I wanted raised planter as its easier for me wnen I bend /crouch my legs hurt instantly and I get out of breath. I'm trying to do is so its easy . Training a plant I'm just not going to do it. I know you can get plants that practically look after themselves.

If you were going to put in a raised planter then you have room to put in a plant. They don't all need to be looked after or trained. I was thinking of a lonicera nitida, which would just need trimming every now and then. Much less effort than maintaining a planter... but you do you.

My pot by the front door has a small standard cotoneaster, which I trim a couple of times a year, and I put in some bedding plants yearly which just get watered. My hydrangea petiotaris certainly doesn't get trained - it is self supporting and all I do to that is to cut back anything which is growing over the windows/gutters/ lights. It is only about 6ft tall after about 5 years. I'm sure it will grow taller but I will just get somebody to chop it back once a year if necessary.

There's no point in planting at ground level because the bins will cover them. Plus i don't want to be doing loads off weeding . Plus the bins need to be on something solid or I'm just putting them on top of dirt. And dragging dirt every time I move the bins. Which will then just mess up the patio bit.

You could put slabs down up 6 inches before the wall though, add those garden edging strips so your bins bump into them rather than going into the 6 inches of soil. Then plant something maintenance free in the soil. If the sole purpose is to hide the bins from the street view then get some wicker roll for the railings.

I would have someone fit a trough/window box to the top part of the wall so that you don’t have to bend over as you would to planters on the floor for wearing etc.

You could plant some evergreen ground cover plants such as stonecrops and sedums or small shrubs such as hebes.

Ivy then. Looks after itself. Anything in a planter would need regular watering.

Hi,
The area looks to be 86cm (4 standard bricks) deep so first thing to do is check depth of largest bin to see how much room is available for a planter.

A narrow trough style one could be built that depth from the fence to the back of the bins. This would increase the available depth slightly as the base would be sitting on top of the wall and extending beyond it into the area you intend to pave. It would also provide support.

You could either have it on legs in a simple raised planter style or extending to the ground with a false bottom at the wall height.

Good luck with the project. If you're DIYing it, decking boards or pressure treated fence boards are ideal. I've used both for outdoor planters after watching a YouTube tutorial and 5 years on, they are still going strong. 😊

I definitely don't want ivy . I jusy had a look abd it says it can over take. That would caused me problems.

Yeah something like that seems like a good idea. I was thinking something ever green . I want it to be small though and not something that grows tall . Maybe up to 2ish foot.

I have made a start. I had to remove all the gravel. And removed about 4 inches of dirt . I have some weed membrane coming later today. And some mot1 coming tomorrow

The narrow planter is a great idea !
I would be tempted to really make a show of 1 type of plant rather than constantly refereeing a battle between plants with different needs and fighting for space with each other.
Watering is also a pain when you dont have time or motivation. I think given that I would look at decorative grasses. Most are very low maintenance and there are some really beautiful ones that would look stunning starting above the ground like you would be putting them.
Also as a bonus you could use a weak solution of weed and feed lawn care to kill off any weeds in the bed.

Some die off in winter, or get less colourful but you should google them to get an idea of the range of stripy, Scarlett, fluffy or architectural ones you could use or get a suggestion from ai.

Yes definitely agree. I need something that only grows upto a certain height and doesn't need trimming etc. I think i may be able to get mini ever greens . Not sure though I'm going to have a Google. Plabts are finishing touches really so I can take my time.

I'm definitely not doing a mix of things that need different types of care . It has to be minimal or I just won't don't it.

Going to carry on with my garden today. I'm waiting for it do be a decent time so I can start.

My Mot1 is coming between 3pm and 6pm hoping it will be earlier. Also have a feeling i didn't buy enough and I don't have a compresser.

I didn't buy enough mot 1😭 so that's now put me at least a few days behinde. I have also decided I dont like mot1 . I'm gonna try find grano dust if I can.