Blank Canvas, need some help with garden design and path

4 years ago

I have a blank canvas and although we are getting there (Just had grass rotavated, levelled and re-seeded) we need a bit of help.

The garden used to be quite private and not over looked until next door took down some trees, so I need some screening on the right hand side from our white wall until their garden shed at least.

I also want some kind of planting down the sides, and a path, but to be honest want to keep the majority of the garden as grass, so a discrete path from the front to the back of the garden is needed (this needs to be off to the left hand side) and a small amount of planting in beds to the left and right and maybe some behind the white walls going across. It's a bit bland at the moment so not sure where to start. I'd like a modern contemporary look, but also like blues, white's, colour.

A local gardener gave me some tips below as to what would work in the soil we have locally, and I also have some time from a Gardener to do some planting as my mum paid for 4 hours worth, but what I don't have is an idea of what to buy and what to put where, or idea/s of how it can look.

Can anyone help or offer some suggestions? Just want my garden to be beautiful and easy to maintain all year round with some colour, nice fragrance, and not be over looked.

Thank you

The following plants do well around here; we (or others in the area) have grown them successfully.

Plants with perfumed flowers - deciduous

Clematis Montana

Winter Honeysuckle Fragrantissima

Winter Sweet Chimonanthus Praecox

Ribes Odoratum

Lilacs (Syringa)

Buddleia

Magnolia Wilsonii

Honeysuckle climbers

Viburnum Burkwoodii
Geranium Macrorrhizum

Longiflorum Lilies (bulbs)

Hyacinths (bulbs)

Night Scented Stocks (matthiola bicornus - annual)

Sweet Peas - annual

Cheiranthus Cheiri (Wallflower) - biannual

Plants with perfumed flowers - evergreen
Daphne Odora
Elaeagnus Ebbinger
Christmas Box (Sarcococca Hookeriana)
Mahonia
Choisya Ternata
Trachelospermum Jasminoides
Osmanthus Burkwoodii
Melissa Officinalis (lemon balm)

Dianthus

Viola cornuta

Itea Ilicifolia (scented catkins)

Plants with scented leaves - deciduous
Aloysia Triphylla (lemon viburnum)

Plants with scented leaves - evergreen
Lavenders
Eucalyptus
Rosemary
Other suggestions
Prunus trees/shrubs
Flowering cherry - beautiful blossom in spring
Garrya James Roof - large catkins in autumn/winter
Hardy Cyclamen

As a general rule anything that likes alkaline soil (chalky/lime soil) should do ok around here. Best to check individual varieties. For example, there are some lilies that only like acid soil (like Oriental lilies).

Featured Answer

rachelmidlands

4 years ago

Hi JC. I think the layout of the path will be quite important as well as deciding which plants to have. It looks like there is a lot of footfall on the lawn next to the patio so I think any path needs to start from here. Had you thought what material you’d like the path to be made out of? The size of the borders will depend on what plants you’d like to have, shrubs and trees will most likely need more space and can encroach on your lawn space. The suggestions above are all good tho and most of them are very hardy and tolerant of most soils. For privacy on the right fence I might go fo one main shrub, perhaps a Lilac and a tallish evergreen. If you get young specimens they’ll adapt to the soil better. In the meantime you could attach some trellis to the fence and grow some climbers such as the clematis Montana, honey suckle or star jasmine. I think the way to pick a planting plan is not to rush it but start with your star attractions first, the larger plants, shrubs or trees, look them up and find out their eventual height and spread. Then the rest you can fill in with the smaller things, like the perennials and bulbs. Be sure to check what conditions each plant likes, sun/shade etc. I bought this plant yesterday at a plant fair, Sambucas nigra ‘black lace’. It can grow very large but can be hacked back quite vigorously with little effect and is very hardy. Good job really as my garden isn’t huge and it’s staying in a container:-) Good luck with your garden, it’s a lovely space.

Comments (7)

Sonia
4 years ago
Rachel I’ve got that very Sambucas in a pot and it’s growing well. Love the lacey foliage and saucer shaped flowers. It sits with a Choisya Sundance which has bright yellow leaves - gorgeous!
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rachelmidlands
4 years ago
Ooh, fantastic Forza! Glad to see it doing well in a pot, mines only a little baby so hopefully it will flower next year. The problem with plant fairs is I’m like a kid in a sweet shop:-) Came home with more than I intended including some unusual nodding onions but the sambucas I’m rather pleased with:).
Sonia
4 years ago
I know what you mean Rachel. I removed all the spent Forget me Nots yesterday and I have some gaps in the borders now, which MUST be filled! Exciting lol! x
J C
Original Author
4 years ago
Hi Rachel, the path I'm looking for to be paving slabs, or similar, and quite discreet. The bedding both sides, but quite thin and tall, ideally I'd like to be able to visualise how a design would look
Carolina
4 years ago
Hi, I think something like this could be nice. But you'd have to create flower beds in the corner to encourage people to follow the path down to the summerhouse, so they won't just take the shortest route.

Did a little sketch (not to scale) and a visual. A bench on a patio (gravel or wood chip) on the left side perhaps? Between the flower beds?

You could do a path using slabs as stepping stones. In the visual I've made it a solid path just because it's easier to draw.

A good way to see how it would work for you is use wooden pegs and string to mark out where the path would go.
J C
Original Author
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
Thanks Caroline, some nice ideas, but I don't want a path leading to the centre of the house at the back, as that takes over the garden. The idea is to keep as much grass as possible for my children to run around on and play football etc, so I'm only after a discreet side path to the left all the way up in one go, and thin beds either side and also to screen the right hand side up to the line with next doors shed. so maybe where your path starts turn left then straight up along the same line with the fence. Thank you so much for the sketch though. Like it but thinner.

Blank Canvas, need some help with garden design and path

rachelmidlands

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Sonia

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Blank Canvas, need some help with garden design and path

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