What can I use this space for?

[MagpiePi]

I’d be really grateful if any lovely gardening MNetters can give me some inspiration!

I’ve recently moved house and am not sure what to do with this area in the back garden. I have had the privet hedge at the back reduced in height by about 2m, and some overgrown leylandii replaced with the beech hedge on the right which I am going to allow to grow another metre or so. The bare stump on the left is a Photinia Red Robin which was huge and leaning on the garage (the building on the left) so it has been pruned right back but should sprout up again.

I was facing due south to take the photo so I assume it will be quite shaded,

ChatGTP has suggested planting around the edge and putting some statement plants in big pots in the middle, but I’d like to actually use the space for something practical if possible as I can’t really see it from house.

I’ve considered putting the rotary dryer there but think that might be better getting full sunshine. The previous owners had a log store at the back to the left and a chiminea type thing so must have sat there in the evenings, but I’d rather get the evening sun and sit outside the back of my house.

Maybe I need to leave it for a year and see how shady it actually is?

I would put the dryer there. Or a shed.

My practical suggestions are:
compost heaps
Water butts (collect rainwater from garage roof)
Storage e.g. for garden furniture
shed for garden tools, machines, spare pots, etc
place to store dormant pots e.g. roses in winter / daffodils in summer
encourage wildlife (bird boxes* & feeders, bug hotels, hedgehog houses, etc)
man cave / garden room / home office

Bird boxes should be north / east facing so they avoid the heat of the sun and avoid the prevailing weather from the S.W.

Chicken coop?

@MagpiePi If it's an area not seen from the house then I'd use it as a messy area for things like compost bins, storing wheelbarrows, log store for wood burner etc.
As you haven't been there long I'd wait a few months to see just what grows there and to see for yourself what the light is like before you commit to anything.

Thank you all.

I really don’t need a shed or storage space as the garage is massive, plus there is a large space in front of the garage between my house and the neighbours’ which doesn’t get the sun apart from the early morning, where I could put a shed if I needed.

The rest of the garden is quite small - about 8m x 6m, mostly lawn with some narrow borders round the edge, and I’m not planning on having a lot of active gardening going on IYKWIM, so I am not really in need of compost. Some water butts is an idea..although the garage roof drains away from this end.

I like the idea of bird boxes….

I think I will have to see what it is like in the summer. I’m sure I’ll find something to do with it.

If you were facing due South when you took the photo then the evening sun should come into that patch from the West over the beech hedge. Could you be tempted to create a tucked away evening sitting area there? Bench along the garage wall to catch the last of the sun, a fire pit in the centre and plants for scent in the evenings (evening primrose, night phlox, honeysuckle, Nicotiana).

@senua had a brilliant idea with her wildlife area - a pond or water feature, bird bath, plants with seeds and berries for birds to eat and a tucked away bench so you can have a cuppa and watch the wildlife come and go.

One last idea - how about planting a tree there? A crab apple that will have blossom in spring, give shade in summer and then fruit to stay on all winter? A fir tree you can put lights on at Christmas?

I’d like to actually use the space for something practical if possible as I can’t really see it from house.
The rest of the garden is quite small, mostly lawn with some narrow borders round the edge

I saw a garden this morning which put me in mind of this thread.
Have you thought about doing something clever with mirrors? If angled carefully you can make the reflection so that you can 'see round corners'. It might be worth doing something in that area after all.
It doesn't have to be anything special, just some vague greenness that makes the garden look bigger / has deeper borders than it would appear. Or some structure, like a pergola or an arbour or similar.

You will have to experiment with the placing or you may end up blinding yourself with the south-facing glare. Also you would need a proper garden mirror (acrylic, not glass) for safety reasons.

There is a patio area at the back of the house (it faces the same way as the back of the garage) which will catch the evening sun, plus I think the beech hedge is too close, and is going to be much taller so will block out the sun.

I've just had the hedge cut and the leylandii removed to open it up so I'm not looking to create extra shade. Also there is the photinia which will bush up again.

Sorry, I am being very negative with your suggestions!

I do like birds and wildlife so will look at planting to encourage them, and maybe a small pond, but my experience of ponds and water features in the past seem to end up with a gloop of rotting leaves, algae, the pigeons using them as a toilet, lots of small wriggly things, and not many frogs or birds happily bathing.

@senua ooo, mirrors! Hadn't thought of that!

I'd be nabbing that space for my little reading nook.

I would make a nice private seating area. Once the shrubs grow back it will be lovely and sheltered. I like to sit in the shade though.

Put something you can watch, a bird feeder or pond, on the sunnier side where the space faces.

Patio with a pergola with wisteria growing around it. Clematis on the side of the garage. Use the raised bed on the right for strawberries.
It looks like you could to with something next to the hedge on the lawn area on the right. Something like iris plants maybe or an acer?

I would also see if you can get an out door electric socket from your garage so you can get fairy lights for a seating area in the summer.

Leaving it for a year to see what it actually does lightwise seems like the right idea. Since you've just opened it up, it may feel different again once the beech grows and the photinia comes back.
You say you don’t need storage and if you won’t really sit there, maybe lean into it being a slightly "wild" area? Trying to force it into a formal use isn't necessary anyway, so I’d be tempted to leave it as a low-effort wildlife corner. Think bird feeders, a couple of boxes on the garage wall, maybe a small raised wildlife pond so it doesn’t turn into a leaf swamp (in fact, shade helps reduce algae), etc. If you’re unsure, it might help to mock up a few options in something like Gardenbox 3d or another garden planning app. Visualizing things before you get to any actual digging helps a lot.
As for the rotary dryer, I wouldn't bother with it if the rest of the garden gets enough sun, but as you've said, leaving it for a while to observe could be a good solution. You may want to get back to it later if necessary.