Garden plan - ideas please

[Bzzzzzbumblebee]

Just moved house and have a wonderful new garden to plan and then put into place.

It is on 2 levels, the lower level has the patio and the higher a flatish lawn, with 2 unknown trees. (They haven’t come into leaf yet and I can identify trees from bark part from the really obvious ones).

There is a wood to the South, which is great for wildlife but does make a shady edge.

Only thoughts so far is some fan trained fruit trees along the brick wall and my daughter has grown a wild cherry (we think) from seedling which needs a home.

I’ve attached a basic plan and a couple of photos. Where should I start? Probably will change the fence but what to? Field behind.

I would try to soften those walls with some nice plants trailing over them. Aubrietas are nice at this time of year. Trailing rosemary is nice too. Convulvulus mauritanicus is lovely in summer.

I'd want to put lots of containers with colourful flowers against that white wall. If you're sitting on a bench on the patio, can you see the lawn area?

@waltzingparrot

I'd want to put lots of containers with colourful flowers against that white wall. If you're sitting on a bench on the patio, can you see the lawn area?

Only a tiny bit, I think the garden will need lots of tall things to be seen from any seating.

What do you want from your garden? Do you want a large lawn? Do you have time to maintain lots of flower beds? Do you want to grow vegetables? Do you want water? Do you prefer to sit in sun or shade? If there is open fields / woods behind the fence I would be tempted to remove it to get the extended view. How old is your daughter? Do you have pets?

You don't have to answer all those by the way - but things to think about when designing what you want from the space!

I don’t know what your budget is, but if that was my garden, I’d put a massive pot either side of the steps, wire tension system across the wall and grow a climber, honeysuckle or maybe a climbing rose.

Plant underneath the climber with penstemons or salvia/something tall and long flowering and something low growing and long flowering underneath that, maybe one of the small cultivars of Gaura, possibly a campanula or Heuchera.

I’d dig up a lot of the patio!
I’d leave enough for a big sofa and table and BBQ but most of it, I’d destroy, add a tonne of compost and topsoil and plant up with a nice big tree (maybe that Wild cherry your DD grew) and lots and lots of long flowering plants; buddlejas, coreopsis, snapdragons, roses, ox eye daisies etc...

That ramp with the glass, I’d put a massive pot next to that, wire system the brick wall and plant that up to match the two pots against the steps.

Grass is terrible for my hayfever, I’d replace the lawn with an alternative like lawn chamomile or clover or something.

Paint the fence white and put a trellis along the top to increase height.

I’d put a pond and waterfall in somewhere.

Add some wide borders and fill with more flowering plants and fruit trees

I do like the sunken patio and agree containers along the white wall, although maybe consider a mix of evergreens and flowers so there is year round interest. If it were mine, I’d be thinking of some gabion seating/planting.

Do you actually get sun on the patio in the evening or should you consider a patio on the grassed area. Do you want mostly lawn or flower beds that don’t just go along the boundaries?

Those steps are just calling for a feature at the far side of the garden directly opposite them.

@fallingsnowflakes

What do you want from your garden? Do you want a large lawn? Do you have time to maintain lots of flower beds? Do you want to grow vegetables? Do you want water? Do you prefer to sit in sun or shade? If there is open fields / woods behind the fence I would be tempted to remove it to get the extended view. How old is your daughter? Do you have pets?

What so I want from the garden - big question! It is very visible from the house so looks are important, not major high maintenance but still have some interest.

Vegetables - maybe but probably not in the main garden (there is a side area) as want to keep this space a bit more formal.

Fence belongs to field owner but we want to speak to them and hopefully lower fence, either post and rail (with chicken wire) or low native hedge.

2 dogs and daughter is 16 but likes gardening.

Cut a bed out of the paving in front of the wall.

@Artinsurance

I do like the sunken patio and agree containers along the white wall, although maybe consider a mix of evergreens and flowers so there is year round interest. If it were mine, I’d be thinking of some gabion seating/planting.

Do you actually get sun on the patio in the evening or should you consider a patio on the grassed area. Do you want mostly lawn or flower beds that don’t just go along the boundaries?

Those steps are just calling for a feature at the far side of the garden directly opposite them.

There is some sun on the patio in the evening but want to see how much when the summer comes!

Definitely agree with wires along the brick wall - I was thinking fan trained fruit trees. Pretty and productive!

What type of feature would look good at the end of the garden opposite the steps? I like this idea.

My favourite plant for a focal point at the end of the view from the steps would be a japanese maple.

Thanks. Has anyone used a garden designer? I don't want to do anything big without some sort of plan.

If you google garden focal point you might find some ideas but, off the top of my head, a bench, statue, big urn, water feature, an arched mirror, an arbour, a globe fire pit, a pergola leading to any of these things, a large architectural plant/tree in an island flowerbed (silver birch jacqumontii, acer palmatum Sango Kaku, Acer Griseum or a beautiful coloured conifer - so you get year round colour). You might put a pathway directly to it, or not depending on how much hard landscaping you want to do.

I’ve never used a designer but been to a lot of gardens, watched Gardeners World and looked at a lot of plans online for inspiration with the three gardens I’ve had. The first was fairly basic beds round the edges, the second had a rectangular and circular lawn, between them, a brick path with a pergola leading to raised decking, and the third is a work in progress (and a partner who likes grass and small neat plants🙄).

I'd be inclined to change the paint colour on the retaining walls to cream or pale sage, so they aren't in your face quite so much. What colour are the patio slabs? They look greyish.

@expectopelargonium

I'd be inclined to change the paint colour on the retaining walls to cream or pale sage, so they aren't in your face quite so much. What colour are the patio slabs? They look greyish.

The slabs are a pale grey.

Not going to change the patio area except add some pots. It is newly done and very high quality. Where is a good place to buy large statement pots?

. It is mainly the large grass area that I want to do something with. Couple more photos, though it is grey and overcast here today.

Fruit trees along brick wall (South facing so perfect place) and a focal point opposite the steps. Any other ideas?

Updated plan.

Hottub as requested by teenage boy!
Water feature along the path to a pergola
Patio in sunniest part of the garden with bed around about it.

When are you most likely to use your garden? For us, we have a south facing patio that we sit at for coffee or to eat simply because it's where we come out of the house, but we also have another west facing area which gets the last of the evening sun where we have drinks.

If you are like us, I think that might be the bottom right hand side of your plan. Would you have tall plants in the new bed that might restrict enjoying the last of the evening sun on the lower patio? Would the tree at the top right shade this area? Would the upper patio be large enough for more than one lounger? Would you want to use the hot tub in the evening?

What view will you have of the garden from the rooms you have that directly overlook it? I'd plant these areas with things that will provide year round interest.

When you put in the hard landscaping, think about laying cables to power anything at the far side of the garden, even if you don't connect them to anything yet.