Garden redo - any suggestions? Garden design advise VERY EXPENSIVE

[jaabaar]

Hi

My 3 year old DD LOVES going to our little garden.
However the slabs have become uneven since we removed a bamboo and the fences and shed have started to rot away.....

I have had a garden designer come and give a quote! He will get back with a quote between 5 and 7000 within the week. I had in mind a budget of 2000.... and the advise given was really nothing worth wile in regards to child friendly garden or layout.

I am thinking of letting them put some raised flowerbeds with sleepers so my daughter can use it for a bit of gardening etc. However as the garden is quite small (small terraced house garden) i am now thinking that making permament flower beds takes away space and flexibility of the garden.

I have seen movable flower beds with trellies at the back. Maybe that is better idea? as it can be moved around?

What other ideas to make a garden for a child exiting (apart from the usual sandpit etc)?

Any advise would be appreciated!

Thank you!

J x

How about a couple of substantial raised beds (brick?) with a free-standing trellis at the back? One at either side, but staggered (not directly opposite each other).

Then you could plant climbers, to create "secret rooms" in the garden. That would divide up your garden into little spaces - one for sitting, one for a sandpit or a trampoline, etc. The actual uses could change over the years, as your daughter gets older.

You probably only need a small area to be paved at the moment.

I'd ask around locally, like nursery, friends with children, so you can actually see some designs that work, particularly as you were not impressed with the designer's ideas for children. Agreeing with LadyM, that DD's interests/requirements will probably change with age, but as long as she gets her own little patch for experiments etc. am sure she'll be happy. Otherwise, I'd go for safety and low maintenance, and just looking around for good ideas.

A space where your daughter can have her own garden is a great idea. You could also think about stepping stone with lettesr or animal prints on. On my blog I have ideas about mirrors, chalkboards and i also like tree faces kidsinthegarden.co.uk/play-in-the-garden-spring-activites/

I also really like the book small family gardens by Caroline Tilston - which will give you lots of ideas - you should be able to get it from Amazon

Thank u all for the advise and tips!!

Have a look on pinterest- it's great for garden ideas.

Don't forget, hard landscaping is very, very expensive, and 5-7k sounds what id expect for a small terrace-type garden.
h

JoyMachine

A lot of work involved however i got a new quote which is cheaper by nearly 2k but still at 5k. At least it includes new paving stones as well! Other was with reusing old ones which are nearly black!

I'm torn between these two options:

Permanent raised flower beds build in when pavement is replaced

Or

All paved and using wooden planters for daughter to do her gardening?

What would you go for? Remember garden is just a small terraced house garden.

Thanks