Please help me layout my garden!

[clairebear1990]

Hellooo, I’ve just bought my first home (hurray!!!) which was conveniently the one I was renting - so I’ve come in search of advice as to what we can do with our rental garden. While renting we were limited as to what we could do (it was an absolute mess when we moved in so it's taken years to get the soil to not just be gravel) - but now we have full freedom I’m completely stumped! I've tried to give as much context as possible but if you just want to dig right into it and get creative I'd still really appreciate that :)

The garden is an L-shape but not straight - due to the back fence being at an angle. The patio is pretty much always in shade, but the long side of the garden gets constant sun. Potentially a pergola over the patio could provide shelter from the rain?

There is a grey grid I’ve marked on the garden that is a surface water drain. It’s a bit of an eyesore but I think we aren’t allowed to put anything “permanent” on top of it - whether that includes raised beds or not I’m unsure!

I really enjoy learning to grow my own fruit and vegetables, so I’d like to make sure there is some raised planting area for that. Currently we have a cheap raised bed (3mx1m) but I’d like to upgrade it to be a solid wood raised bed, and moved against the side fence (the gap between the fence and the current vegetable bed is way too narrow!). I’m happy for it to be broken into smaller beds, but ideally would like to keep the same area for growing things.

We’d really love to add a garden office but due to the weird shape of the garden we’re struggling to think of ideas where to put it. Ideally it would be not too big (either 2mx3m, or one of the corner ones that’s 2.7mx2.7m). This is something we are happy to wait and save up for, but we want to make sure the garden is planned with that potentially in mind.

The back border at the moment is quite narrow and makes planting flowers difficult. I have a lot of plants in pots that I could potentially move into that border if I widened it a bit.
The shed in the corner is movable however it was bolted into the ground by the previous landlord so it will be quite difficult to move, and there is a large tree above it that drops a lot of branches - so I’d prefer not to move it if possible but if it needs to be done it needs to be done!

I’m more than willing to put the time and effort into the garden, however it’s the layout that I’m really struggling with! I’ve attached photos of the garden as well as a to-scale layout with some measurements. Please help me with any suggestions at all - I’m at my wits end figuring out what to tackle first! I've tried adding potential garden office/vegetable bed solutions but they all make the garden look cluttered?

Doesn't directly answer your question but had you thought of asking a garden designer (not a garden landscaper) for an hour's consultation? Hourly rates are quite high but could potentially save you money through having to change things down the line. On the series 'Your Garden Made Perfect', there was an L shaped garden but I'm a bit hazy about how they tackled it. Should be on iplayer.

Which are the bits you look out onto from your house? I assume it is the short side, where the patio is?

If so, I would get rid of the lawn in that bit and turn it all into planting. You could have a beautiful mixed border to look out onto. I'd put everything else in the long side, and leave the very end of the long side for an eventual home office.

If the patio is always in shade - are you in a part of the country where that is a good thing? If not, then have you considered a 1-storey house extension instead of a stand-alone home office, and relocate your sitting out area?

I can't help with the aesthetics but a couple of practical suggestions:

• Don't leave the storage cupboard with the backwards sloping roof next to the house - rainwater will drain against the wall and make it damp.

• Don't put anything on top of the drain cover. It should be quick to access in case of anything going wrong with the drain.

@clairebear1990 Buy this book: 'Making a Garden' by David Stevens. I did a garden design course some years ago, and this is honestly the best book I've ever read on the subject, you don't need any prior knowledge, and it takes you through the whole process in easy steps.

This! Unless you want to have a shady patio (understandable in southern areas)

oh I'll check that series out, thank you!! and in terms of a garden designer ill have a look around online - i assumed it was also going to be combined with landscaping too whereas i just need someone with a good eye haha!

yes it is indeed the patio that it the living room looks out onto - it is quite shady in that entire area but I love the idea of making the borders bigger as they're super shallow at the moment. Gives me some time to get creative with plants too!! 😁

we did consider a possible extension but the cost for one seems astronomical in our area (Cambridge) so we decided against it - would be many many years out before we could afford it! the patio is pretty much always in shade which is a shame though..

ooooh will give this a look - thankyou!!

yikes I didn't even think of that first point!! it's technically a bike store so it opens at the top to get in and out. definitely will be moving that asap!

in terms of the drain cover maybe we could hide it under some potted plants - it does look a bit unsightly at the moment but you're right that we don't want to prevent access.

i actually do quite like the shade (especially when the summer down south is horrendously warm) but it is a shame it's quite dark all year around!

Name was familiar, so I checked my bookcase I have his “Town gardens: Successful gardening in 1 hour a week”. Noted in the “what do you want?” Section a useful checklist of about 50 things you might want to make space for. I bought it for its inspirational pictures. One-of the few books that gives design ideas for tiny urban plots as opposed to gardens measured in fractions of acres or whole acres.

Our drain cover is hidden under a couple of wooden decking squares, with plants in pots on top. Easily removable if you need access.

For anyone who lives anywhere near Barnsdale Gardens, David Stevens sometimes does workshops there. I only recently found out myself, and it is on my to-do list!