What would you do with my front garden?

[loobylou44]

I'm fed up of my rubbish grass and cracked path. I want to have it all removed but I don't know what to do with the space.
I will have the wall taken down and rebuilt and a new gate fitted but other than that I have got a clue. Any ideas?

I wouldn’t have the wall taken down, it gives definition to the garden. Or did you mean the edge of the grass? The house looks cottagey so I’d go for a cottage garden look with the flower bed contained where the grass is.
I’d pave over the concrete with a reddish brown tile to match the brick work of the house.
Or alternatively you could completely gravel over everything and have a minimal Zen/ Japanese style garden.
I’d have a look on Pinterest for specific ideas.

I’d put paving slabs down and round off the corner of the grass and put a flowerbed (or at least some attractive shrubs) running behind the front wall.

I also like the wall - it looks in good condition so i would leave it. And I agree with rounding the edges of the grass too, as at the moment there are too many straight lines.
I would look around at other local front gardens you like. Think about what style of planting appeals to you. The cottage garden suggested would look lovely

Clean and simple?

If it were mine (and I didn't need the lawn space for kids/pets) then I'd have the path replaced with something prettier, rip up the grass, put down soil instead and fill it to the brim with wild flower seeds. I'd leave the wall as it is.

I also don’t think the wall needs to come down, but the path needs taking up and something nicer put down.

I’d then add lots of pots with big plants, flowering plants, ever green plants etc,

Don’t add wild flower seeds and soil, for a large part of the year you’ll just have a weedy mess.

I’d replace the pathway.
I’d get a custom made narrow trough planter the length of the wall dividing you and your neighbour and put espalier apple trees (dwarfing rootstock!) and bright colourful flowers like sweet alyssum or campanula or something in it.

I would run the grass area up to the step and around the window then rip out all the grass as I’m terribly allergic.
I’d replace with Thrift/sea pink.

I’d plant a climbing plant against the house wall.
Some nice repeat flowering rose bushes under the window.

I’d put an acer tree in either the corner by the window in front of the tallest part of the wall or the opposite corner at the front near the entrance to the path.
Maybe both!

I’d put a pond and waterfall in somewhere.

I’d make the borders wider and possibly curved and fill with long flowering flowers.
Maybe buzz buddlejas, scabious, coreopsis, that sort of thing

I do like what's @waltzingparrot has put up, but there's nothing there for wildlife. Needs some flowers!

You could have some heucheras in for evergreen colour

Turn it into off street parking?

Border in a box from Wicks! Takes all the guesswork out of which plants to put down. It's all been organised for you, from evergreens, height and spread of plants are taken in to consideration and pollinating plants are selected to aid local wildlife. Costs about 160 pounds.

Then lay cottage themed pathway and it'd be lovely.

I'm on the mobile so linking the website is awkward right now, sorry.

Some fab ideas thanks.
Sorry if I wasn't clear but the wall on the side of the path is a bit rickety so it just needs to come down and then be rebuilt using the same bricks to make it safe.
The path is original but is cracked in quite a few places so I need to replace it with something.
My house is a Victorian terrace so ideally I'd like something in keeping with the period.

@ChetChet

Border in a box from Wicks! Takes all the guesswork out of which plants to put down. It's all been organised for you, from evergreens, height and spread of plants are taken in to consideration and pollinating plants are selected to aid local wildlife. Costs about 160 pounds.

Then lay cottage themed pathway and it'd be lovely.

I'm on the mobile so linking the website is awkward right now, sorry.

Absolutely love this idea!

Oh sorry!! Its called Garden on a Roll.

It's on my wishlist for our upcoming house moving-in-present. Such a fantastic idea. I can't wait to buy one.

Actually that looks pretty good if you don’t want to spend time choosing plants: www.wickes.co.uk/Garden-on-a-Roll-Wildlife-Plant-Border---600mm-x-3m/p/102636
Add some spring bulbs and good to go!

Turn the grass into a lovely big flower bed like pp have suggested, and lay a black and white Victorian style path

I'd definitely get rid of the grass, it's not worth mowing a patch that size and is replace with a big cottage garden border. If you aren't going to spend lots of time on it, then low maintenance flowering shrubs, if you have more time, then lots of cottage garden flowers

I'd also get rid of the grass - too much effort to bring the mower round the front.

Decide on maintenance level based on what your street is like - do you want to spend as little time as possible out there, or is being out there a chance for neighbours to stop and say hello?

I might consider designing for winter - a few evergreens, plants with attractive berries or bark, things that flower in winter - so that the house looks nice all through the winter, and you generally find that summer takes care of itself.

On the other hand I've seen pictures of very nice gardens given over to vegetables planted decoratively.

I once had a herb garden out front which worked rather well - design of small beds with narrow paths between in a sort of knot garden, very formal, central rose on a pillar and a couple going up the house to give height. It was an absolutely pleasure to be out weeding with different scents as you moved around and brushed against different plants.

Encaustic tiles for the path would be in keeping with the period.

If you want the planting to be authentic too, the Victorians were very keen on garish coloured flowers, the brighter the better, laid out in geometric patterns. The kind of planting that you only see on roundabouts and municipal parks now. If you replaced the grass in waltzingparrot's pic with a flower bed of annuals in clashing colours laid out in a complicated design in amongst the topiary, that would be the look. They also liked collecting exotic plants from around the empire.

I think waltzingparrot's suggestion or meredint's knot garden would be a less garish nod to authenticity and compliment the architecture.

I would put a decidous tree in the far corner, look for one that doesn't grow to high or spread roots too far, and preferably does something spectacular at some point in the year - blossom, autumn colour - that will delight the street and you, when you're returning home.
Some ideas to think about here too:
www.themiddlesizedgarden.co.uk/best-front-garden-ideas-smart-easy-cheap/

This is similar to the wickes idea but has more options and price ranges
www.gardenonaroll.com/products

What period Victorian? She was on the throne for nearly two thirds of a century.

Gravel, rocks and tall whispy flowers and ferns.

@MereDintofPandiculation

What period Victorian? She was on the throne for nearly two thirds of a century.

Late Victorian, early Edwardian I think.

Mosaic/chequerboard tiles were popular with the Georgians, Victorians and Edwardians, although the designs got more complex and more colourful later in the period but chequerboard was still popular. Something like the first link is probably most appropriate for a red brick terrace but you could go for something fancier.

rhsblog.co.uk/2014/10/16/brixton-herne-hill-victorian-mosaic-tile-path-black-red-tile-york-stone-pier-cap-entrance-stone-imperial-yellow-brick-london-stock-wall/

rhsblog.co.uk/2018/11/29/front-garden-design-london-4/

rhsblog.co.uk/2014/08/01/victorian-mosaic-tile-path-yellow-brick-front-garden-wall-granite-paving-bin-bike-store-metal-rail-yorkstone-paving/