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Gardening

Find tips and tricks to make your garden or allotment flourish on our Gardening forum.

Has anyone got a wide shallow garden?

10 replies

wheft · 08/09/2020 19:12

We have this and want to make it look longer. I'm thinking on doing a garden design course to help me. Anyone got one of these or done a design course? Any tips?

Many thanks

OP posts:
Hollyhocksarenotmessy · 08/09/2020 23:31

Our garden is wide but looks longer than it really is. I think it's an effect created by the meandering path, and it being split into smaller sections by the planting. So the left side is shrubs, but not straight down the edge. They get wider and narrower and create a couple of little 'rooms'.

orangenasturtium · 09/09/2020 17:03

Could you post a plan with rough measurements? Photos would be even better, if you are comfortable with that.

wheft · 09/09/2020 18:17

Here you go
Excuse non painted trellis neighbour won't let me paint it. Gazebo was temporary for hot weather

I think the main problem is the hedge is too wide and the patios are too large it's an l shape in front of the house there are French doors across the width and then the attached garage conversion now a kitchen I looks out on the patio

Any ideas welcomed

Has anyone got a wide shallow garden?
Has anyone got a wide shallow garden?
Has anyone got a wide shallow garden?
OP posts:
Whatthebloodyell · 09/09/2020 18:23

I think it helps to have some tall planting closer to the house, that you can ‘see through’ to the end of the garden.

orangenasturtium · 09/09/2020 20:49

It looks like you might have "lost" quite a big percentage of your garden to shrubbery. Where is the boundary on the left? I would heavily prune the hedge to gain a bit more space.

Where is the boundary from the tree to the summerhouse and behind the summerhouse? Again, you might be able to gain some space by removing shrubs and replanting.

How much do you use the patio? Do you need all of it? Are the tables, chairs, egg chair in the optimum places for how you use the garden/the time of day?

It looks like your garden is well played in! If you need lawn space for football practice, you might have to compromise until your DC are older. When they need less play space you can use curved borders and a winding path to lead the eye down the garden and create a feeling that the garden is larger. I would consider moving the trampoline as far back into the corner by the shed as is safe and sinking it in the ground. If your DC are old enough to play safely out of view, I would consider screening that corner with plants and have a an archway with climbers as the entrance. Once they are older, I would definitely create a small courtyard or gravel garden with a feature (eg fountain, brightly coloured table and chairs, climbers on a obelisk, bird bath) with planting so you can only glimpse it through an archway so you can't see the end of the garden, just that there is more beyond.

You have a great view over the fence to the tower/church. I would be using plants to frame it and hide the fence. The fence is a firm/hard boundary but if you grow climbers with a few large plants/small trees, possibly in planters, to make the edge less straight, it "blurs the boundary" of where your garden ends and the view begins. You could use garden mirrors to make it look like the garden extends past the fence and the mirrors are entrances.

You could do something similar with an archway/bower/feature/mirrors/living willow structure under the tree at the end of the patio, to make it look like it leads somewhere. Or in the space between the tree and the shed. Or both! Or a garden mirror behind the summerhouse veranda.

When you no longer need maximum lawn space (and have the money!), I would consider creating a separate seating area and dining area and reduce the size of the patio and lawn, with curved edges/borders rather than straight lines.

wheft · 10/09/2020 14:09

@orangenasturtium thanks for your ideas!

OP posts:
Straven123 · 13/09/2020 22:49

It's a bit flat to me with everything round the periphery.
The blue fence is a bit bare, shame there isn't more room for shrubs.
You could make bed/s around the summer house entrance with eg shrubs or perennials so the shouse is glimpsed rather than in full view. Will make lawn mowing more fiddly.
Make a triangular bed where the paved path meets the patio - again shrubs/ perennials to break up the view , extend it along the edge of the patio as far as you want but perhaps smaller mound plants and things like nasturtiums to tumble onto the paving. It might look odd at first but once you have eg a 10ft buddleia with smaller shrubs beside it will look as if it's always been there.
GQT suggested hebe parviflora for dry areas such as under the fir tree.

wheft · 20/09/2020 17:09

Thanks @Straven123 great ideas!

OP posts:
UniversalTruth · 20/09/2020 17:36

Triangular bed is a good idea, but I would do a sweeping curve rather than straight cut the corner edge as the garden is a bit "blocky" from your pics. A bit like the pic at the top of this webpage, but doesn't need to be raised...www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/diy/how-to-build-a-raised-bed/

UniversalTruth · 20/09/2020 17:36

www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/diy/how-to-build-a-raised-bed/

Now with clicky link

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