Do you have a garden?

[ScoobyCan]

Just that really.

Do you have a garden? Do you use it?

I'm looking to move house and if I compromise on garden (ie small courtyard garden / minimal upkeep) I can afford a much larger house.

AIBU to suggest (shock, horror) that I don't need a garden? I have two DC who "sometimes" play out / kick a ball around. We like cycling so tend towards taking the bikes out instead. Currently I have a shed and a couple of trees, I don't do borders as I don't enjoy gardening.

Please tell me about your enjoyment of a house with no garden....

Ours is west facing. Means one side is permanently in the shade (I have ivy growing up that wall with ferns along the bottom) and one side is in the sun but we get shade travelling through the day. No part of it is completely sunny through the day. It doesn't bother me but I'm not a 'sitting in the sun' type, I'm always hiding in the shade.

I have a garden. And a gardener. Costs me a fortune.

We have a Victorian terrace with a typical sized garden common to such houses. South facing. We don't have DC but we use it a lot. Gardening itself is very therapeutic and I'll sit out all the time when the weather allows. It's good for the cats and the dog loved it.

South or West facing are best for smaller gardens. I wouldn't rule out East facing. I would rule out North facing.

I didn't have a garden till I was 39. I absolutely love it! I love having a little picknick, or reading a good book in the grass, or lying in my blown up kiddie pool during a heat wave. I love growing my veggie patch and attracting all kinds of birds.

I really miss my garden for so many reasons.
Can’t hang out washing so have to use airers all year round (only got storage heaters so can’t put over radiator and no space for tumble dryer)
I was even known to sit out in Winter with my first cup of coffee, so long as it wasn’t hammering down or blowing a gale.
Own grown fruit and vegetables.
Sitting out in the evening reading a book or star gazing.
My garden was very much an extension of my home and it’s probably the only thing I miss about living where I do now.

I am very lucky living on a large plot backing onto woods, and living on the borders of London and Hertfordshire.
I bought this house, originally a small 2 bed detached, because of the garden/plot. As we are a family of six the house had to be doubled in size!
But I love my garden we have parties in it, kids love it, it isn't a coventional garden and we have all manner of wildlife visiting.

A good friend had to give up her house and garden on divorce and had to move to a flat in order to stay within area for her Dc's. As her DC's left home she moved to a flat with a roof terrace as she really missed having some outside space.

My last flat was an open basement and it had a back garden, we never really used it, it was just another thing to look after. My current flat has no garden, no more neglected outdoor space.

We go to the park most days, my son likes play equipment, running around, playing football etc. He never played in our garden when we had it as it was too small.

We have a small garden, it has flower beds, grass and a patio area but it's all condensed. I do wish we had a bigger garden but there's space for me to grow flowers and sit outside with a drink so it's OK. The kids do play outside and we have a massive park 5 mins away. If they really want to run around a lot we just go there.

We have a massive, football pitch sized, wrap around garden and I hate it. When DH kicks the bucket I'm selling up and moving to a flat with a balcony.

Love my garden.
It is quite large and a lot to maintain but it is one of my main enjoyments in life.
Large patio on two levels, raised beds in the middle, summer house, a couple of sheds to store garden stuff in. Pots in abundance, bbq in summer, flowers to encourage bees, a stumpery for insects, bird feeders ,composters and water butts.

One day I will downsize but I will always have a garden of some sort.

Nope. I'm in a first floor flat, lived here since DS was a baby. We have a park and green open space directly opposite us over the road, we are happy with that. I rent though.

Unless I really needed the 'much larger house' there is no way I would buy a house with no garden if I had young children. Even though you say your kids don't play in it often, I think it's one of those things that you/they will miss if it's gone. Even now, with my kids grown up I wouldn't want to be without a garden. I love to sit out in it in the summer reading and watching the washing flap about on the line. I would feel claustrophobic without it I'm sure.

Small garden which I love, I spend most of my evenings out there once the weather turns nice. Couldn't be without a garden.

I hardly ever go into my garden, only to tidy it really - so I wouldn't miss actually being in it, but I would miss looking out of the window at something nice. This could be a nice urban/rural scene though and I could be happy.

Small courtyard garden is fine, somewhere to sit for the few weeks it is sunny and never becomes a pita to upkeep. Low maintenance but you can pack as many features in as you want - pots, water feature, seating, bird table etc.

We have a garden but a very small one. I think the difference between no outdoor space and some (even if a small courtyard) is massive. But the difference between a small outdoor space and a large garden is not so big..

It is great to have some outdoor space for children but as long as you can fit a paddling pool/a few outdoor toys it is fine. We currently have a little playhouse, sand/water table, a small rocker and slide. There is room for a paddling pool in the summer. I am thinking of getting a small trampoline now the DC are older (will get rid of slide and rocker). They play with hula hoops and space hoppers too. We have some pots for planting flowers etc. Also a rose bush, rockery with fern and a raised bed with rosemary. We have decking that we sit out on.

I have 3 gardens. Front, side and back. Front is more of a wildflower garden, side and back get used pretty much every day in summer, we get in from work, change then go sit outside, our daughter is out all the time when it's dry.
I couldn't not have a garden

I love my garden it’s a decent size and very private for a suburban garden. When DS was little there was lots of football and badminton. He got his GF doing circuit training in it yesterday and tried to teach her some football moves. DH loves gardening and I like sitting and reading in the garden under the laurel tree. We have had a few parties in the conservatory and garden over the years.