ᐅ Garden Planning – Initial Draft

haydee schrieb:

Or you take it to the green waste disposal site the few times there’s a lot of it

And then you throw away valuable biomass from your own garden. Only to buy fertilizer afterwards. 😀

haydee schrieb:

Or you can take it to the green waste disposal site a few times when there’s a lot to get rid of

It depends on the garden concept. For a completely artificial garden, that can work, but for a natural garden, it would be totally contradictory. Financially, I also don’t think it makes much sense to transport everything away only to buy expensive fertilizer or compost later.

One important point just came to mind: don’t only consider the flower colors but also their blooming periods. The garden should look beautiful throughout the entire summer, not just for one month.

So far, we haven’t had much waste that doesn’t fit into the composter. I use grass clippings for mulching; hedge trimmings have never been sufficient. Thorns, blackberries, and similar plants need to be removed. I have 1300 m² (14,000 sq ft) that are the opposite of artificial. The amounts of compost have never been significant. The mixing in the compost must be adequate. Quick composters are partly ready after 12 weeks.

11ant schrieb:

Just make the mutual linking yourself this time here and in your second breed thread;

I still don’t quite understand the organizational system here and unfortunately can’t find the "second breed thread" anymore. :-( As soon as I have time, I’ll read through the manual and will surely find a solution then. It doesn’t seem intuitive to me.

WilderSueden schrieb:

Simply put, the taller the trees, the further apart they have to be. As long as you and your neighbors agree, no one will mind. But make sure to plan both a desired and a maximum height for all trees and hedges. Choose plants that stay within the preferred size or can easily be kept at that size.

We will do that. Thanks for the advice.

WilderSueden schrieb:

I would hesitate to park my car under pavilions in winter... So better choose a carport. Or leave the roofed area out entirely.

I’ve already removed the two pavilions from my plan. I will go for a metal or wooden carport, painted green. Ideally, I would actually leave out the roof covering completely, since our car isn’t that valuable, and I had assumed that cars can simply be parked outside without their own shelter or roof. ;-) Most likely, though, my husband will insist on having a garage. :-(

WilderSueden schrieb:

I also think there is a lack of a proper seating area directly adjacent to the kitchen/dining area.

I just checked. There will be a small terrace next to the kitchen, which I had forgotten about. Since we weren’t allowed to locate our house in the desired spot on the plot, the neighbors are now quite close, and I don’t want to bother them with conversations they might overhear unintentionally.

WilderSueden schrieb:

Completely unsuitable for parties and also inconvenient for regular guests.

I believe that a terrace not attached directly to the house enhances the feeling of being surrounded by nature. We had that at our previous home. I like to feel that when I’m outside I’m really in nature. When I’m “at” the house, I might as well be indoors. This is one of the reasons I don’t plan to buy the popular “outdoor living room” furniture you see today. I’m not comfortable with it; outside, I want garden furniture—comfortable and attractive, but still garden furniture. Those “outdoor living room” pieces blur for me the line between inside and outside, which I don’t appreciate. I try to think of it this way: on a terrace attached to the house, you are surrounded by nature on three sides; on a terrace detached from the house, you are surrounded by nature on all four sides. I prefer the latter.

WilderSueden schrieb:

Do you want to have the plot enclosed or keep it open?

The plot will initially remain completely open—except for the two sides where our neighbors have already put up fences. I could have done without those fences too. If problems arise, we will enclose the plot.

WilderSueden schrieb:

What about the field? How do you want to incorporate it?

I’m thinking of creating a “meadow” as a transition to the field, with wildflowers or meadow flowers, and also adding seating. That’s one of the round terraces.

WilderSueden schrieb:

Do you want a purely ornamental garden or also a kitchen garden?

Apart from the three fruit trees and a few tomatoes and herbs for tomato mozzarella (yum, now I’m craving some ;-) ), the plants don’t need to serve any purpose.

WilderSueden schrieb:

Do you prefer a natural approach or more like the type of a federal garden show?

I’m not yet sure since I don’t fully understand the difference, but I assume a garden like those at the federal garden shows would be too maintenance-intensive for us. However, I can imagine having a small area with rare plants. We had that at our previous garden, but unfortunately, all were stolen. :-(

WilderSueden schrieb:

Are there plants you absolutely want and do they have special requirements (e.g., full sun, sheltered from wind, climbing supports, etc.)?

The yellow-flowering magnolia tree in front of the house is important to me; the location should be suitable. To the right of the carport, a climbing support will be installed for the yellow/pink-flowering honeysuckle. This spot will probably fit as well. I only want evergreens here to block the view of the neighbor’s dark carport. It may already be known here that I have trouble emotionally handling dark colors—except on cars. ;-)

WilderSueden schrieb:

How much time do you want to invest in the garden?

As much as it’s enjoyable.

WilderSueden schrieb:

Where will you store garden tools and how many do you need?

In the possibly green-painted, pentagonal garden shed, on the right side, at the very back. I don’t know how many we’ll need. I hope not too many. Garden tools are “stuff,” and I don’t like “stuff.”

WilderSueden schrieb:

If you get a carport, what about the bicycles?

I have marked the bike rack to scale on the right side of the house near the carport.

WilderSueden schrieb:

Regarding compost, I already shared my opinion but will gladly repeat it. That thing is for a balcony, not a garden.

After your previous advice, I changed the amount and size. 🙂

WilderSueden schrieb:

At first, that will probably be enough, but you will fill it with grass clippings soon.

Renting a container, driving to the green waste facility ourselves, or maybe spreading some on the field.

WilderSueden schrieb:

What will you do with the leaves when they accumulate in larger amounts in a few years?

My husband and I are already quite old compared to other forum members here.

WilderSueden schrieb:

So better plan a suitable space for that now and don’t make it too small. 2 chambers of 1 cubic meter (1.3 cubic yards) each is the right size, plus maybe something extra for green waste if you have more than three trees.

My husband is, like you, an absolute compost fan. We’ll see how it turns out.

WilderSueden schrieb:

Therefore, I want to focus on smaller growth forms. Do you have any details about that?

I still don’t fully understand the development plan in this regard. I thought I’d just plant varieties and growth forms suitable for us and our plot. If they need to be removed later, I’ll just give them away via E..y.

haydee schrieb:

The one with plants—potted garden—can also be kept green.

I don’t really like potted plants on or around a terrace and find them somewhat impractical. I would prefer to surround the terrace with planting.

haydee schrieb:

Sit in your house and look where your view goes when you eat or have conversations.

We will do that. :-) Thanks for the tip.

haydee schrieb:

I would have expected a miniature castle garden from you.

I hope to create a bit of a “castle garden” with the fountain and the adjoining rotunda. Unfortunately, neither our budget nor my gardening enthusiasm allow for more. ;-) We also had to change the house, and a miniature castle garden no longer fits. Otherwise, you are 100% right in your assessment. 🙂

K a t j a schrieb:

In my opinion, a patio door without a proper step or landing is not ideal.

That was a mistake on our part during the planning phase, which we will try to correct. I’m not sure yet exactly how. I would like to start a separate thread or link it to an earlier one.

K a t j a schrieb:

The terrace directly attached to the house is, in my view, used much more often and more spontaneously, especially if the kitchen is nearby (which unfortunately it isn’t. I would definitely plan for an outdoor kitchen there).

There will be a terrace next to the kitchen as well, which I forgot to include in the drawing. Probably with a pathway connecting to the other terraces. I would like to have several winding paths leading to the round terraces, and so on.

An outdoor kitchen is out of the question for “me”; I was thinking of a nice barbecue area at the back near the field.

WilderSueden schrieb:

One more important point came to mind: don’t just consider the flower colors but also their blooming periods. The garden should look beautiful throughout the entire summer, not just for one month.

Yes, I will do that. Thanks. 🙂

I got a bit confused just now, sorry.

Pinkiponk schrieb:

As much as you enjoy it.

Make a specific time estimate, for example, 4 hours per week (half a Saturday).

Pinkiponk schrieb:

In the potentially green-painted, pentagonal garden shed, on the right side, all the way at the back. I don’t know how many we will need. For me, garden tools are “junk,” and I don’t like “junk.”

Is the garden shed intended as a living space or a storage area? If it’s for living, I would definitely recommend planning a second room (preferably with its own entrance) for garden tools. Otherwise, you’ll end up sitting in the evening staring at the wheelbarrow.

Pinkiponk schrieb:

I thought I would simply plant varieties and growth forms that suit us/our property.

You might be underestimating the bureaucracy here in Germany 😉

Pinkiponk schrieb:

I think a terrace that isn’t attached to the house enhances the feeling of being in nature.

You’re certainly right about that, but I wouldn’t want to carry dishes, food, and drinks 20m (65 feet) away from the house. Especially since you’re a bit older than the typical forum members—and probably most guests, too 😉
My parents also have a garden shed with a living area in a corner of their property. As far as I can remember, it was never really used for that purpose. The living area is too small for a party, and you don’t want to carry everything back there just for the family every time. Now the living space stores garden chairs, cushions, and the barbecue.
There’s nothing wrong with planning a seating area where each guest can carry their own glass of wine, though.