My garden, any help appreciated!

[KnickersOnOnesHead]

I have big ideas for my garden but have no idea where to start.

Any help or tips would be gratefully appreciated!

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www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/view/23778064

What do you want your garden to do for you? What do other people in your family want from the garden? How big is it (is there a boundary down? Its hard to tell from the pictures exactly how far your garden goes.) Which way does it face? How much time do you want to have to spend on maintenance? What are your ideas - what would you like to achieve in your dreams?

Sorry - lots of questions and not much help atm

Garden finishes where the fence on left left ends......have to put the bottom fence up.

Sun rises from the left corner and sets over the other side of the house.

Somewhere where the kids can play but also for it to look nice.

I already have a potential veg patch, but it needs digging out.

More questions (sorry).

How much time or money have you got for this project? Are you able to do the work yourself?

Are you thinking of stripping it all and starting again, or do you just want to tweak it a bit?

What do you need to have in the garden - shed for bikes? washing line? etc etc

Can see you have dc. Is the space mainly for them and the washing line?

You don't have to put a fence up at the end unless you want too. It's not a requirement to fence your boundary usually though most people prefer to as it stops straying children and pets.

You need to cut the grass to get the 'lawn' under control. Feed and weed to get rid of the dandilions. Grass seed on the bare patches.

Path clear on the patio which helps stop new weeks getting in there for a few months.

Once you've got that and the grass sorted it's time to start thinking about what you want.

Are you happy with the position of the washing line and trampoline? If not relocate them and leave them for a few weeks to check you are happy (re blocking view, neighbours not being unhappy with boucning children right by fence etc)

How much time and effort do you want to spend on it?
Do you want a low maintenance garden? Lots of colour? A shed? Other play equipment such as a swing or climbing frame anywhere? Do plants need to be football proof? Do you want a vegi patch? flowers? shrubs and trees? just a lawn?

Start looking at what your neighbours have to see what grows well and maybe come up with some kind of wishlist as to what you'd like - particularly in terms of big things like a shed, play equipment, fruit tree or raised veg beds.
Depending on money you'll need to work out whether you can go for it in a quick blaze of inspiration. Or whether you need to be taking your time and acquiring plants from neighbours and friends (most keen gardeners are happy to give away cuttings etc) , buying cheapily at fayres and car boot sales and growing from seed too. Much cheaper but it takes longer to get your garden looking established!

Wow, what a lovely huge garden!

If it were mine, I would start by gettin the boundaries sorted, deciding on what height of fence would ensure the right level of privacy (thinking a four or five foot all round, as it's such a lovely view and seems residential and friendly enough from the pics). Lowere fences are cheaper than the standard 6ft which helps.

I'd get shot of the existing fences which appear to be made from pallets! Maybe put in a gate at the end, or just use slides to climb over...but deffo have some kind of fence all round.
You don't want to lose a guinea pig or rabbit and have to search the entire neighbourhood.

I'd also put in a couple of trees, ready grown to about 6-7ft (not that dear, try local nursery) and do it NOW so you get the maximum benefit from them as they grow. That way you will have shade and possibly somewhere to hang a swing one day!

You could also plant hedging instead of a fence if you prefer, but it's less secure than a fence in terms of pets etc.

Other than that I would wait and see once you have the basics sorted. You might want a shed for storage, somewhere to eat with friends, ie small paved area, table, parasol or tree for shade. The possibilites are endless but first of all I'd just get some fences up, really.

actually regarding the trees, I'd wait a few months till the autumn when you can rely on the rain a bit more - trees need watering all through their first summer, unless you plant them in the autumn/winter. The ones I've put in in the late autumn have been fine without daily watering as it rained so much. It's the laziest option and having a 100ft garden myself I am very lazy!

I have an outhouse so storage not really an issue. I am thinking of a swing set....maybe....or a couple of trees to put swings on eventually.

I've already gotten the panels for the back, 6ft ones. Mainly for the dogs. Next door mentioned a while a go about the fencing, hoping the get that sorted soon. The fence is theirs, the hedge was mine.

Grass seed has put down on the bare patch and has already started growing.
Where you see all the dandelions is where the 'wannabe veg patch' is.
It was a large rectangle made of bricks but I knocked it down for reasons I forgot now. BUT, I should manage to get that sorted.

I'm fine with where the washing line is, not so sure on the trampoline. Keep moving it about but nowhere seems 'right'.

Grass has been cut, again. Twice in 3 weeks. But needs another go over.

I want a greenhouse to the right of the rabbit hutch, but there is still the tree stump and hedge stumps there which are going to take some getting up.

Money is a bit of an issue (at the moment) but should be sorted with some in the next couple of weeks that will hopefully afford someone to come in and give me a hand. It is the 'heavy duty' stuff like the bottom levelling etc that needs doing urgently so then I can get the fence up.

Ingrid, that's what I keep telling my dad, once the fence is sorted I can really get cracking!!

Have taken the lazy option and going to lose some of the garden rather than get is levelled off, as there a quite a few old tree stumps too.

Have finally got the 'veg patch' dug out, posts put in, and carpeted ready for some side panels then will fill with straw etc.

More hedges cut right down and my dad is determined to get them dug up.

Will also speak to next door re fence as the hedge are holding it up!