What would you do with this area?

[GinAndOnIt]

It's the corner of the patio where the table and chairs normally are, and the fence/clematis can be seen from the lounge window. I want to paint the table and chairs a nice colour (although not sure what?) but what else could we do?

Maybe a climber up the fence? Should we cut the green hedge to stop at the little wall, and maybe put reed/bamboo screening from wall to house?

I'm not sure if we can paint the fence, because I'm not sure if it would drip through to next door. I think they may have reed screening on their side, though.

The fence has been treated at some point. And if you paint, carefully, it shouldn't run through. It is rather dark and oppressive

What plant is in the hedge and what's behind it if you cut it back?

I'd add some more pots, of different sizes, with a variety of bedding plants etc to add interest, having cut the hedge back a bit. Paint fence and furniture, find somewhere else for storage.

We have two sheds - that stuff is just there at the moment because I'm using it constantly and can't be bothered to keep putting it away and getting it back out again it won't be there forever.

The fence is too dark, isn't it? I'm not sure what the hedge is, but the only other thing growing is the clematis - there's one clematis flower poking through down low behind the pot somehow!

I think there's a chicken wire fence behind the hedge, so I'd need to put some sort of screening up to replace the hedge if we cut it back.

That clematis is one of the sort that spreads well- trellis or chicken wire and a bit of encouragement and it'll move that way- parents have been gently persuading one like this in their garden for over 30 years now (and it probably covers about 8 foot length)

I managed to kill one that was with this house when we arrived though :(

There isn't a great deal of planting space without adding pots though to persuade anything to fill gaps if you chop the hedge back. E.g. a honeysuckle . POts will also draw the eye away/ break up the fencing appearance too. I'm trying to find the pic of my sister's small terrace house yard- mostly pots, fence painted, some trellis and looks amazing for a TINY area

Yes I think we'd definitely like lots of pots. We've changed the main part of this garden to be veg, so it will be nice to have the pots offering different colours throughout the year when the veg isn't doing a lot.

I'm just concerned about privacy really for next door - I don't know if they'll want us being able to see through the fence. I'll chat to them though. I think the hedge is purely on our side, so it may be that they don't even like the hedge and would rather us get rid of it all and replace with a fence maybe?!

If you're friendly with them rather than any sort of neighbour war, definitely as well to have a chat I think.

oh, and one thing my sister did which was probably very smart was get three wheel pot trolleys- they can get quite heavy by the time you fill them up, depending on size

Definitely friendly with them! They're very easy going neighbours

I can't picture the trolley things - do you have a pic? Are they like mini wheel barrows?

These sorts of things

www.ebay.co.uk/bhp/pot-trolley

Basically 3 little castors and a little platform to sit the pot on

Oh I see what you mean! So the pots can be moved. That makes a lot of sense. I was totally thinking of something completely different!

I didn't describe very well though!