Summerhouse

[fiorentina]

We bought a new home about 18 months ago and have spent since then clearing what was totally overgrown, removing oversized conifers and we are now down to nearer a bare plot.

We want to redo a patio and remove the path that's falling apart. At the end is a summerhouse that's in good condition but we need to get a big shed and that's the logical place for it to go. I'm trying to decide relocating the summer house to half way down the garden, facing into the sun will look silly. It will be about 1/3 of the width of the garden deep and I'd grow climbers around it plus there are a couple of other shrubs.

Will it look ridiculous? I haven't found any pictures of gardens on line with a summer house anywhere other than at the end. Honest opinions welcome.. Thanks

I think a summerhouse in the middle can be lovely! It's a matter of how you arrange the other elements of the garden around it - particularly paths.

I just got back from Barnsdale Gardens in Rutland, which has several designs where the summerhouse isn't stuck at the end. If you're close, it's well worth a visit to get some inspiration. All the gardens there are domestic in size, so they really offer something that can be reproduced in an ordinary garden.

Thank you! That's good to know. We aren't near but I will do some googling and try and see if I can find some pictures. We do need to arrange paths etc so could work accordingly.

Pinterest is great for this - I bet you can find loads of lovely suggestions on there.

I am not a garden designer and there are loads of people on here better qualified to make suggestions - but have a look at the way the designer has used curves in this to make a square garden feel less linear - by the looks of things, the path goes on behind the summerhouse, so it isn't at the back of the garden, but is used as a kind of screen to create another private area behind.

Thank you. I looked at that very picture last night. Slightly concerned our summer house isn't as attractive as that one, but we are going to paint it and grow climbers around it, so hopefully we can also create a zone, and use it as a way to break up a long, but narrowing garden.

Great plan - the right climbers will prettify even the worst structures (and I'm sure your summerhouse isn't that bad!)