How to make a yard nice

[hoorayforharoldlloyd]

We were supposed to be buying a house this year - on hold now but can i ask for some help with how to make a yard nice?

In the area we are looking you can have more spacious rooms and a yard or a smaller more modern house with a garden.

I was happy to go with the garden option, especially if we could look to get a usable shed/extra room but keep seeing nice, affordable houses just with yards.

Any ideas/inspiration/ideas of costs to help me make my argument?

(he likea to look out at the green and not feel overlooked, I'm the one who actually does the garden)

We have a toddler but would be very close to beach and green space.

Yard of nice house I've seen today with a front garden on a pedestrian street.

Hmm, pic doesn't seem to work.

A friend of mine has a bit of fake grass which actually looks really nice, loads of plant pots with flowers and herbs and a small iron table and chairs. My garden is at least 5 times the size but hers is much much nicer!

That’s quite a sizeable yard, flowers climbing the walls and pocket planters on the walls would make it feel much nicer plus a small play area and a separate seating area. Fairy lights strung along the walls.

I wouldn't do fake grass. It's an abomination.

You can get flower pots on the wall and along it. Clean, fill and paint the ground. Or just clean and repair the cracks. The flower pots will make all the difference!

Visit your favourite houses at different times of the day to see which bits get the sun. . Will you want a patch of evening sunshine to sit with a glass of wine, or a barbecue? Or are you a morning person?
A washing line is useful for 9 months of the year (in the U.K.) & will cut your electricity bills.
If you have a paved yard, that means you don’t need a lawn mower. Or you could have a small area of fake grass. You can add a couple of beds to plant a columnar fruit tree, and add some raised beds and pots for some herbs and flowers.
A small yard, you could probably diy for £250

That’s like our yard.

I’ve just put some nice outdoor sofa things in there. It’s nice to have a sit and a drink, but not big enough for anything else.

I’ve tried with plants but they diiiiiiieeeeee!

I’d like to paint the walls and have some nice lights up but tbh I can’t be bothered doing it.

Sorry, double pic!

Your friend's sounds nice!

I was thinking white or warm yellow walls, get brick or wood raised beds in against the wall for plants, grow climbers or do a green wall with lots of pots.

Clean the floor would help!

Maybe some young trees so we can have bird feeders?

Obviously need to be willing for toddler to kick balls into everything...

I know fake grass can look good but i probably would avoid that.

We had a tiny 'yard' but big 3 storey townhouse. We replaced the concrete slabs with small red brick, lots of pots of lavender & roses in the corners. Hanging baskets by back door. Then we grew jasmine & clematis up trellis that we also put on top of the wall, as they grow like mad & you get great coverage + lovely flowers. We didn't paint the brick wall white as that wasn't a thing back then but it would have definitely finished off a current 'look' that's on trend now: & made it look bigger. It got lots of admiring comments on how pretty & green it was when my DM downsized & sold it. Oh & pretty little foldable wrought iron table & chairs too.

I'd get on to that wall with a wire brush and then paint it first, and I'd also see if I could get someone with a pneumatic drill to cut out a couple of beds on the sides, then you can grow stuff up the walls. Further down the line you could always have the concrete ripped up and replaced with block paving, and a couple of brick-built raised beds to give things a bit of height and form. Until then, lots of pots - you don't need to just put annuals in, there are plenty of perennials that live quite happily permanently in a pot.

Plenty of room there for raised beds and, as previous posters have suggested, for growing plants up the walls.

Washing line also useful. Room also for table and benches etc. And (depending on DC age) some play stuff.

Agree that fake grass if awful - and very bad for the environment.

For inspiration google 'courtyard gardens'; lots of lovely images of what can be done.

I would warn against proper yellow walls. Yellow attracts insects and not just pretty butterflies. I had to throw away my yellow top because i was permanently covered in insects😂

£250 sounds great!

And yes to fairy lights and fruit trees. Getting genuinely good garden furniture would help - and i could definitely do my herb garden.

@OmgThereAreNoPlanesAboveMeNow how big a job would be getting the floor filled and painted do you think? Any vague idea of costs?

Paint the wall, fence and shed. I would go for the same colour for all three wither white or buttermilk.
Jet wash the paving or if you don’t have a jet wash use household bleach and a stiff brush. Just make sure you keep it away from any plants you want to keep.
Hanging baskets and wall planters anywhere that gets sunny. A water butt to collect water from the shed roof. The mossy bit is going to be the most shady area of the yard so that is where I would put child’s play stuff. Seating area in more sunny area. Would probably go for a bistro set and sofa but if you want to eat meals out there then maybe a small dining set would suit you better.
No fake grass as it is awful and you can get interlocking mats to go under play equipment if your child is at an age where they could fall on paving.

I'd go for something really modern looking with comfy rattan sofas. A big outdoor rug might be a good temporary option. I'd probably save up to put down some nice paving if it's only a smallish yard. Outside painting is a ballache to maintain imo. Big planters with evergreen plants if you enjoy gardening, clipped box hedging like this looks very smart and gives something green to look at.

If we added additional trellis to the top of the wall, do you have to check with neighbours if ok?

Gravel is quite good, not too expensive but not sure how many bags you'd need. Also big ferns look lush and create structure. Shrubs with good leaf colour that flower create year round interest. Box shrub that you can shape as they grow bigger. Variegated ivy and variegated vinca both spread well and vinca is easy to grow and has a long flowering period - blue flowers. Few ideas off the top of my head. Think your yard could be made to look really nice. Definitely white walls.

In this space on a tight budget i would sit and think about a colour scheme.

Paint the walls and gate a bright colour..walls white
Gate?
Give the shed a fresh coat.
Buy large plastic, inexpensive pots an paint a co-ordinating colour.

Decking the area would be great but expensive.
Laying slabs would also look great..

If the budget isn't there for that

Get some a bag of cement and mix it up to smooth over cracks and fill in holes on the ground.
Just do the best job you can with this.
Painting the concrete can be very effective.
Go for a darker colour which is more forgiving.
It will make the place look far cleaner and pulled together.
Looking at small back yards on Houzz would give you lots of ideas...like placing old mirrors on walls to reflect light....also lots of bamboo in big pots would soften the space.

Best of luck. Its a nice space that could be given a lovely beach theme with lots of shells, and a blue and white colour scheme with some stripes.

HTH

That's very similar to my own yard. I love the higher walls - in the summer, when I've got the back door open, it's like the yard is a whole new room.

@hoorayforharoldlloyd i have no idea. I would think you could do it yourself. Price from professional very much depends on where you are. Have a google within your area. That can give you some idea.

Good luck!

If you want to be inspired the March gardeners world magazine has the most amazing courtyard garden that is probably slightly smaller than that space.

A sand pit for your toddler.
A big old rug for the toddler to play on.
A little tent can be a lovely spot for them to enjoy.
Lots of shops like ikea have lots of bits that can brighten up a space like this.

Jet wash the concrete, paint the walls in a really nice summery colour and the concrete in something darker. You'll be well on your way to a nice outdoor space.

Honestly grass is totally overrated.

And depending how thick the concrete rent a grinder with a diamond blade, cut out strips of concrete and plant.

The modern photo above with the hedges on thin strips amongst the slab/concrete ground looks amazing. Wouldn't be a massive effort to get towards something like that

Following with interest as we are in the same position.