How can I cheaply tidy a neglected Edinburgh tenement garden without losing privacy?

[JustAnotherThursday]

I’ve just bought a ground‑floor flat in an Edinburgh tenement and inherited a very neglected communal drying‑green garden. There’s no longer any grass, just a thick layer of fallen leaves and general debris. I’m a complete newbie gardener and would love some advice on what I can realistically do to tidy it up on a small budget.

There is communal access from the stairwell, so anyone could come down, but at the moment nobody uses the garden at all. My worry is that if I tidy it up, people might start sitting right under my window. I don’t mind people using the garden in general, it is communal after all, I just don’t want them directly outside my window.

What would you do in this situation? How can I tidy it without accidentally impacting my privacy? Any tips for low‑cost, beginner‑friendly improvements would be really appreciated.

Is it big enough to put some plant pots in front of your window? Bushy shrubs that aren't tall, eg lavender (will that grow in Edinburgh?) or holly, or something suited to the climate. It will stop people getting too close to your window.

There is a small paved section just before the grass starts and I had thought of putting potted plants there. I wasn’t sure if that was acceptable in a communal garden though. Then again, someone put an old toilet base out there as a planter at some point, so I’m guessing a few plant pots would be an improvement. The toilet definitely needs removed.

People might not be using the garden now because the it's been wet and wintery since you moved in. Maybe they will use it more in the summer?

Just a thought but perhaps the garden might be a good way to get to know your neighbours? Could you have a working party together to spruce the place up and club together to buy some pots and plants?

If that's no good, perhaps ask the residents committee if pots are ok and if so put pots outside your window as pp suggested. If you can stretch to some seating or a bench then place it at the end of the garden and hopefully people will get the message and sit out there rather than near your place.

I hope you'll be very happy in your new home and garden.

It doesn't sound a very attractive place to sit, or as if people use it as a drying green to hang their washing at the moment, so there probably isn't much footfall to impact your privacy. I should start with a few pots on your paving to discourage people sitting there if you start to tidy up a bit - you should be fine using the paved area for this if it's outside your windows, people usually respect that it's your territory. Maybe keep an eye on how much sunlight the green gets, and where, as spring advances, as the sunnier bits will be more attractive to other residents. It really depends a lot on the composition of your stair - if people are students or walkers or working, you might have the green all to yourself!
Edited to add - I should think carefully before getting a bench, it's a bit of an invitation to visitors from other stairs and you don't necessarily want your green to become a hang out place.

come over to the gardening thread and you'll get lots of suggestions and support.

why not start by tidying the bit furthest from your house?

are there plants around the edge? is there grass under the leaves & debris?

There is no residents’ committee here, nor any factor, and the garden really hasn’t been touched in quite a while. The borders don’t have any plants at all, the only plants are in the grass section of the garden. There are old pots abandoned in one corner and some crates that look like they’ve been there for years. It’s visibly more neglected than the garden next door, so I think it has been left untouched for a long time. I’m an introvert and trying to organise my neighbours into a tidy‑up party isn’t really my thing.

I definitely won’t be getting a bench, it’s outside my budget and it would just encourage people to sit too close to my living‑room window.

I was actually thinking of starting by raking up the leaves and planting grass seed and getting rid of the toilet. The toilet is the main focal point from my living-room window at the moment. Then I would think about plants. I was thinking I would start with my side though, so I can benefit from any time and money spent. Yes, I maybe should have gone to the gardening thread, but I know I have to consider the social aspect of a shared garden.

You could always clear up the section nearest you and get one or two fold up chairs you can take in and out when you use them.