I have now started working on an initial garden design using graph paper and would like to share my draft here. It seems there is no really good, free software for garden planning, hence the use of graph paper.
Nothing has been agreed upon within the family yet; I expect at least some issues regarding parking since I don’t like garages or carports and would prefer to place two weatherproof garden pavilions, each 3x3 meters (10x10 feet), one behind the other (even though this means exiting the car outside the pavilions). To the right of the pavilions, I would like to plant yellow and pink blooming, evergreen honeysuckle so the view doesn’t fall on the car parking area of the neighbors living on the right.
On the left side of the property, I would like to simply continue the Thuja hedge already planted by the neighbors and end it in a spiral hedge where I can hide the three necessary trash bins. I do not want a compost pile but rather two of those rotating roll composters. They will stand on the far right side of the property, at the very back, behind the five-sided green garden shed.
Behind the house, the three fruit trees required by the local development plan will be planted (apple, self-pollinating cherry, and plum).
In front of the house, I would like to plant a yellow-flowering magnolia on the left and a fir tree on the right, which I can decorate with ornaments during the Christmas season.
The freestanding mailbox should be green and have a nostalgic look. The bicycle rack should also be green and similarly nostalgic in style. I still need to figure out the lighting.
All flowering plants should bloom in pink and/or yellow as much as possible.
The sandstone-colored, wider beams are an initial idea for several paths’ layout. They are not yet complete and should have a curved shape. All terraces are to be round or semi-circular. Sandstone or sandstone-colored, maybe paving.
All areas that are white or grid-patterned will still be planted; that will take some time. Now, the photos.
Our house facade:
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First draft on graph paper:
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Neighbors on the left:
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Neighbors on the right:
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Our house, back and front:
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Nothing has been agreed upon within the family yet; I expect at least some issues regarding parking since I don’t like garages or carports and would prefer to place two weatherproof garden pavilions, each 3x3 meters (10x10 feet), one behind the other (even though this means exiting the car outside the pavilions). To the right of the pavilions, I would like to plant yellow and pink blooming, evergreen honeysuckle so the view doesn’t fall on the car parking area of the neighbors living on the right.
On the left side of the property, I would like to simply continue the Thuja hedge already planted by the neighbors and end it in a spiral hedge where I can hide the three necessary trash bins. I do not want a compost pile but rather two of those rotating roll composters. They will stand on the far right side of the property, at the very back, behind the five-sided green garden shed.
Behind the house, the three fruit trees required by the local development plan will be planted (apple, self-pollinating cherry, and plum).
In front of the house, I would like to plant a yellow-flowering magnolia on the left and a fir tree on the right, which I can decorate with ornaments during the Christmas season.
The freestanding mailbox should be green and have a nostalgic look. The bicycle rack should also be green and similarly nostalgic in style. I still need to figure out the lighting.
All flowering plants should bloom in pink and/or yellow as much as possible.
The sandstone-colored, wider beams are an initial idea for several paths’ layout. They are not yet complete and should have a curved shape. All terraces are to be round or semi-circular. Sandstone or sandstone-colored, maybe paving.
All areas that are white or grid-patterned will still be planted; that will take some time. Now, the photos.
Our house facade:
-----------------------
First draft on graph paper:
---------------------------------------
Neighbors on the left:
-----------------
Neighbors on the right:
-------------------
Our house, back and front:
-------------------------------------------
P
Pinkiponk15 May 2022 11:15Myrna_Loy schrieb:
The compost heap can also be nicely enclosed.A compost heap remains a compost heap. I don’t appreciate the usual compost heaps any more than the usual garages. Neither the compost heaps nor the garages can help that. ;-)haydee schrieb:
Or you take it to the green waste disposal site the few times there’s a lot.That’s one of the considered solutions. Or order a green waste container that gets delivered and picked up full. Maybe I’m allowed to spread some on the field at the back, I’ll have to ask the owner.Myrna_Loy schrieb:
And throw away valuable biomass from your own garden. Only to buy fertilizer later. 😀I’m going to buy composting worms for my tumbling composter. Ew, how disgusting, but also kind of fascinating. 🙂WilderSueden schrieb:
One important point occurred to me: don’t just think about flower colors but also blooming periods. The garden should look nice all summer, not just for one month.Yes, I will do that. Thanks for the advice.haydee schrieb:
Quick composters are partly ready after 12 weeks.I’m buying worms, see above. 🙂WilderSueden schrieb:
Make it a specific time frame, e.g. 4 hours per week (= half a Saturday).Good idea, we’ll do that.WilderSueden schrieb:
Is the garden shed intended as a place to spend time or just for storage?Just for storing garden tools and “stuff.”WilderSueden schrieb:
You might be underestimating German bureaucracy 😉So far, I’ve mostly been underestimating my husband. ;-)WilderSueden schrieb:
That’s probably true, but I wouldn’t want to carry dishes, food, and drinks 20 meters (65 feet) away from the house.I repeat ;-) : So far, I’ve mostly been underestimating my husband. ;-)WilderSueden schrieb:
There’s nothing against planning a seating area where every guest brings their own glass of wine.I think I’m convinced. Maybe a small patio right by the house, accessible from the living room.Pinkiponk schrieb:
I have accurately drawn the bicycle rack to scale on the right side of the house, near the carport.Unfortunately, I can’t identify it. When planning bike storage, it’s important to consider at least some covered area; otherwise, the saddle will be wet after the next rain. Also, check the home contents insurance policy regarding theft. And perhaps keep in mind that you might get e-bikes in the future.What does a formal garden mean to you?
The large boring park?
The formal layout?
The different rooms/gardens?
For me, it’s the formal layout and the different rooms.
It’s clear that there’s no Asian garden here, no Baroque garden there, no water garden over there, and so on. So, beds are necessary.
Are you familiar with granny squares from crocheting? The small squares that are round in the middle? You don’t like corners.
I would divide the garden into such squares—formal, geometric, and rounded inside.
Initial cost: nothing.
For example:
1. Water feature
2. Seating area
3. Orchard
4. Rose garden / flower garden / kitchen garden—whatever you prefer.
As a connection, I would create a wildflower meadow (which needs mowing twice a year) and keep the paths short with a lawn mower (an inexpensive solution).
This works because we have no paved or otherwise hardened paths.
From the sightline between the house and the field, you come, for example, directly to the seating area, then from there to the water feature.
Each area would have a different planting focus.
Plants should be preferably perennial, hardy in winter, drought-tolerant, and the final size should match the desired maximum.
The large boring park?
The formal layout?
The different rooms/gardens?
For me, it’s the formal layout and the different rooms.
It’s clear that there’s no Asian garden here, no Baroque garden there, no water garden over there, and so on. So, beds are necessary.
Are you familiar with granny squares from crocheting? The small squares that are round in the middle? You don’t like corners.
I would divide the garden into such squares—formal, geometric, and rounded inside.
Initial cost: nothing.
For example:
1. Water feature
2. Seating area
3. Orchard
4. Rose garden / flower garden / kitchen garden—whatever you prefer.
As a connection, I would create a wildflower meadow (which needs mowing twice a year) and keep the paths short with a lawn mower (an inexpensive solution).
This works because we have no paved or otherwise hardened paths.
From the sightline between the house and the field, you come, for example, directly to the seating area, then from there to the water feature.
Each area would have a different planting focus.
Plants should be preferably perennial, hardy in winter, drought-tolerant, and the final size should match the desired maximum.
hm
Regarding the paths: precisely because of your age (which you mentioned yourself) and because the main terrace is missing, I would aim for a somewhat more direct path layout. A fairy-tale garden can be quite labor-intensive, demanding, and impractical—especially on a "small" lot. In that case, the winding path more likely ends up as an overgrown trail, where you constantly have to prune branches so you don’t carry morning dew and spider webs everywhere.
..
Before I start thinking about the type of composter here, I would first plan an open area. Many combine it with a small garden shed behind which is the junk corner. I got some criticism in another thread because people think everything should be neatly stored inside the shed, but I prefer sometimes leaving the wheelbarrow outside, where I put my tools for the next day. If you don’t even plan a shed, then you have to designate a storage area somewhere.
Suggestion:
In principle, I would start with your seating area inside the house: either place the fountain along that sightline or centered with the middle window. Then place one bench or two chairs to the left, right, or both sides, so the fountain can also be seen from outside. The compost could be near the trash bins, although I’m currently wondering if the space is enough for your hedge snail. Your kitchen terrace would be quite close to the snail but could also be combined directly with a path. Personally, I find it a hassle to always move trash bins around, so maybe plan a direct street access?
Then the fruit trees, which can be placed to the south as they won’t block your sun: perhaps in the rear left third of the garden? That way, you would have a terrace under or near a fruit tree since shade providers are always welcome. Towards the field or surrounding area then perennial beds in your favorite colors.
I’m working in the garden now and keeping both your and my ideas in mind. If you add a scale and indoor seating furniture to your drawing, I will sketch my thoughts for you later.
WilderSueden schrieb:I somehow also miss the basic elements of a garden.
In general, I still feel the concept is missing.
Pinkiponk schrieb:
Besides, I find seating areas reached by winding paths somehow more interesting and mysterious.
Pinkiponk schrieb:Paths are meant to connect elements like a garden shed, compost area, third terrace or sun deck, carport, and edible plants. They can be winding (which fits your idea), but first, I would plan the elements in their suitable locations. The paths then form by not laying them straight but winding them around bushes and trees, so the path itself isn’t visible all at once. That's what “winding” means to me. Therefore, I would start with the major elements first, like your three fruit trees or additional bushes that provide structure initially.
I would like several winding paths leading to round patios, etc.
Regarding the paths: precisely because of your age (which you mentioned yourself) and because the main terrace is missing, I would aim for a somewhat more direct path layout. A fairy-tale garden can be quite labor-intensive, demanding, and impractical—especially on a "small" lot. In that case, the winding path more likely ends up as an overgrown trail, where you constantly have to prune branches so you don’t carry morning dew and spider webs everywhere.
Pinkiponk schrieb:I’m not sure in what context that was said. We have a terrace of about 40m² (430 ft²), where furniture is not placed in front of the patio door but more along the house wall, so you can look through from inside to garden elements (main flowerbed at the terrace, central tree). Also, additional seating angled differently, visible from indoors or other seating areas, provides visual structure (low in front, higher in back).
That’s intentional and inspired by a thought from @ypg. I don’t want to look at a terrace and/or furniture but at green plants and flowers, especially when I’m indoors.
WilderSueden schrieb:What do you need a composter on a balcony for?
I already shared my opinion on compost, but I’m happy to repeat it. That thing is for a balcony, not a garden.
..
Before I start thinking about the type of composter here, I would first plan an open area. Many combine it with a small garden shed behind which is the junk corner. I got some criticism in another thread because people think everything should be neatly stored inside the shed, but I prefer sometimes leaving the wheelbarrow outside, where I put my tools for the next day. If you don’t even plan a shed, then you have to designate a storage area somewhere.
Pinkiponk schrieb:No, better not. Continue right here. This is your garden thread after all.
For this, I want to open a separate thread or link to an earlier one.
Suggestion:
In principle, I would start with your seating area inside the house: either place the fountain along that sightline or centered with the middle window. Then place one bench or two chairs to the left, right, or both sides, so the fountain can also be seen from outside. The compost could be near the trash bins, although I’m currently wondering if the space is enough for your hedge snail. Your kitchen terrace would be quite close to the snail but could also be combined directly with a path. Personally, I find it a hassle to always move trash bins around, so maybe plan a direct street access?
Then the fruit trees, which can be placed to the south as they won’t block your sun: perhaps in the rear left third of the garden? That way, you would have a terrace under or near a fruit tree since shade providers are always welcome. Towards the field or surrounding area then perennial beds in your favorite colors.
I’m working in the garden now and keeping both your and my ideas in mind. If you add a scale and indoor seating furniture to your drawing, I will sketch my thoughts for you later.
Y
Ypsi aus NI15 May 2022 12:49WilderSueden schrieb:
One important point came to my mind: don't just think about the flower colors, but also about their blooming periods. The garden should look nice throughout the entire summer, not just for one month.That’s a pretty good tip. Do you have any specific planting recommendations? Unfortunately, I don’t (yet) have much knowledge about plants. But since I want a beautiful garden, that needs to change 😎The question that just came to mind: what do you intend to use your garden for? You haven’t mentioned that at all!
And something I forgot to mention: I feel like you are focusing too much on the neighbors. Hedges and privacy screens naturally result from designing the house (or terrace) based on the common sightlines.
I am definitely missing views of the property areas including the house.
And something I forgot to mention: I feel like you are focusing too much on the neighbors. Hedges and privacy screens naturally result from designing the house (or terrace) based on the common sightlines.
I am definitely missing views of the property areas including the house.
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