Design my garden!

[ConsideringAnything]

Had an offer accepted on a new house. The garden is huge, but boring. Just one big rectangle and I have no idea what to do with it.

I'm not a garderner so don't want a garden that needs to much work. I like natural, easy, messy gardens. I'd love a wild/meadow garden and maybe the installation of an office pod/cabin.

Anyone fancy having a garden design bash? I've attached some images to give an idea of the scale and backdrop.

Clearly, once I'm in I shall get a real life garden designer to help out, but thought there might be some closet designers who fancy giving some ideas

If I could afford it I'd put ina swimming pool 😁

My DC would love that. I wouldn't want the cost to run it!

I'm a bit stumped because it's so big. You could do anything!!
I think the main problem at the moment is that the house looks like it is cast adrift on its raft of (?porcelain?) tiles in a sea of grass. You need some connection between the house and the garden.
Also, some height would be good. An orchard at the far end?

But if you are not a keen gardener then I would lean towards a huge expanse of grass that can have a host of uses (sports like football, croquet etc or a social / party area or camping for DC/DGC). And get a robo-mower!

@senua it's so big, it's daunting! I think it probably needs to be divided up, but I work in boxes &. The ideas I've scribbled down end up looking like lots of little gardens!

Height is a good idea, maybe some bushes to divide. The existing owners said they tried to do a mini orchard but the deer in the wood behind got in and ate the trees, so strong fencing / borders is a must.

Yes to your Porcelain patio question.

I think that you should go visiting other gardens (National Trust, National Garden Scheme, etc) and see what takes your fancy. You can then show your designer some photos and say "I like this" or "I hate that" and give them a bit of a steer.

Divide it up with curved lines so that you have different areas. I would have at least half of it as wild flowers - I have this at the end of my garden and it is a joy and low maintenance. I also have a small wildlife pond which the birds in particular love - they are easy - no fountains or posh plants.

You will need some shade! - invest in some big trees this autumn - you could have a small orchard area too.

If you create flower beds at all, you could fill it with quick-growers: buddleia, guelder rose, cystus, Japanese anemones, perhaps laburnum for spring colour.

All the above is low maintenance. Good luck - how wonderful to have this blank canvas!!

Wonderful!

Maybe a statement tree fairly central. Depends what you like, magnolia, cherry, Acer perhaps. An orchard also sounds good for low maintenance and it would be nice to have your office/pod at the back amongst an orchard or sat in amongst a wild meadow with a mowed path to bifold door entrance.

Robomower should just be able to cover that also especially if some of it will be wild meadow.

Suppose a lot depends on how you want to use the space.

if there are deer, I would first of all put in some fencing. it does not have to be big & ugly, but just has to be enough to stop them. My mum's garden has 5ft high posts with 4 lines of wire between and dangly long bits of green string hanging from the wires at intervals. the deer get confused by the string and don't attempt to jump in, but from the house the wire & strings are invisible.

once you have the garden secure from deer, you can put in a couple of big trees + an orchard + a veg patch + some shrubs.

but there is no point in putting in expensive plants if the deer are going to eat them all.

How about having the far end as a meadow with a grove of birches and a meandering path mown through. Have some of the birches in the edge of the mown lawn to bring the areas together. Yes to a largeish mown area for football, picnics, games. If you don't use weed killer it can still developer full of low growing wild flowers. Have some orchard trees closer to the patio to break up views and give some shade. Have a tree house/den/fort for the kids in the wilder bit. Or maybe a gazebo or summerhouse down there so it's a bit cut off and separate.

Depending on the ages of your kids a wildlife pond is great, and they can try pond dipping. Or how about one of those natural swimming pools? I don't know the ins and outs but I think they need less ongoing maintenance and can look really natural.

Also additional seating areas, that catch the sun at different times of day (or that offer shade when it's hot).

If you have deer you will either have to be very careful about tree protection /choosing plants they are less keen on, or a very high fence. If fencing it in I would add a native hedge inside to eventually hide the fence and add to the wildlife/natural look.

These are all fabulous suggestions. Thank you so much.

That garden would be my absolute dream.

trees would be my first plan. I would love to plant an oak tree and know that in 1000 years it would still be there dominating its space and people would wonder about who planted it.

A relative of mine had land, a bit like this and he planted a small wood being very careful to use native trees. It was awesome. You could do similar but design it so there’s an interesting walk around the garden. If you don’t want to garden yourself, keep it low maintenance with wild flowers. You could also put a section of spring bulbs so you have a display of daffodils every spring.

I would also have to put some water in you have space for a decent sized pond which won’t need much work once it’s in. Obviously you have to take care of safety if you have dc.

Get a horse. Or some donkeys.

i would definitely plant a bit of a copse/wood/orchard.. can never have enough trees and it would add a lot of interest/structure to the big plot

Wow what an amazing plot! I agree with deer proof borders and then lots of trees although my first thought was that you should get a sheep for the lawn!

Lovely space! There is something about the scale that seems rather exposed and undefined - stark at present.
My first thought was that some of the basic principles of a Feng Shui garden might give it a framework - a sense of cohesion, balance and flow.
Not suggesting a Chinese themed garden, but just using some of the basic principles of linking the house and garden, focal points, curved paths and borders that gently flow, the natural elements of water, wood, fire and earth and metal; hidden and surprising defined areas to discover as you meander along (a wood cabin perhaps?). Using focal points beyond the garden incorporated into the design seamlessly to anchor it in its surroundings.

I would split it up, make one end a wild meadow and plant some trees then in front a nice treehouse a herb garden and some other lovely things. I'm a rubbish gardener though!

Wow! What an opportunity.
Do you have DC? If so, I'd allocate an area for them to play football, have a trampoline & all of those things and work out how to screen it off and what you'll do with the area once they eventually grow up.
If you're having a garden room, decide where you want that and what size it will be. A sort of extension of the house or very much separate from the house?
You can then plan the rest. With that sort of space, you can have a few seating areas - one in shade, one for evening sun .. and ideally a hidden nook just for you!
Curved borders & paths would be idyllic.

Thank you all so much. Given me loads of ideas and don't feel quite so
daunted now!

Use all of these great ideas but think of the lawn as the path and go for a wide curvy S shape. The bits around the S are where you put the other suggestions. The S shape gives you the means to break it up and have a surprise/new vista around every corner!

A very big pond, and use the spoil to sculpt some curving raised beds. Wildflower orchard at the far end.

I'd plant between the patio and grass with some prairie-style floaty stuff. I'd put a pretty multi-stemmed tree up close to the patio, fairly centrally, with a path going round it on both sides.

At the back I'd go for woodland planting - native trees with under planting of bulbs like bluebells, snowdrops, etc. log piles and wood chip to provide good habitats.

Woodland planting would then give way to the orchard as you come a bit closer to the house.

I suggest that your garden office is not oriented to face the house, but rotated 90 degrees and nestled among the trees to give a feeling of being secluded.

Def get a wildlife pond in there if you can.

I'd agree with many of the suggestions here but my first thought was a central pergola running from the two pots on the patio to a focal point somewhere between the middle and bottom of the garden (bench, pot, mirrored water feature, standing stone, statue type thing etc) and plant it with Wisteria, Clematis, Roses, Espalier fruit trees or whatever plants you love. You've then effectively broken the garden and can divide it further with different "rooms" and have paths linking back to the centre of the garden.

I love curved or round interlocking lawns and they also give you the curved flower beds. I'd also put in a bed of lowish perennials interspersed with tall wispy plants that you can see through (Alliums, Thalictrums, Verbena, Asters) at the edge of the patio.

Is there a good spot in the garden for evening sun that isn't on the existing patio? Have some seating there but not if it's under trees where you've got lots of midges swarming about.