Tiny garden makeover

My DD didn't have room for real grass so laid an artificial grass area so that it could be used all year round.

Well Laurely at the risk of starting another turf war .......

My DH and I did a garden makeover for my DD and her baby last year . We did it ourselves over several weekends and the end results were just as we hoped.

Over the years we have turfed the small garden a few times but the grass never took as the garden is North East facing and gets very little sun due to surrounding buildings although it is very secluded so gets no wind either .

In the end we decided on a once and for all solution of a small patio right outside the door where she has various pots and a table and chair set. Then the ever controversial, artificial grass lawn. We went for the best quality we could afford at the time which looks very realistic . It’s perfect for the little one to play on and is very soft too. We made sure to leave a decent soil patch at the top where she has a lovely mature tree and lots of nice planting . A little shed (painted a crazy shade of pink....her choice) just finishes it off nicely.

A pretty and practical solution.

If you do go for artificial grass you need to go for the best grade you can afford as it makes a huge difference . We ended up getting a perfect off cut and adjusted the size to suit rather than having a set size . It was hard work but I loved doing it .

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202004/medium-314079-p1010621.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202004/medium-54263-p1010619.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202004/medium-554556-p1010618.jpg

The garden sounds a bit similar to mine but a bit shorter and more terraced. It was not safe for my grandchildren when they were young so they could only use the steps with supervision. I have a long extension lead for mowing with a little Flymo (and crampons!), and a water butt to catch rain water from the roof of the shed which is to the right on the patio. One advantage of the slope, though, was the ability to make a 'slide' with a 10 metre length of parachute silk from Ebay. I put a lounger cushion at the bottom to soften the impact, and we all (including me) had great fun.
Sorry, I have no ideas for you, just perhaps to use lots of pots which get swapped around for seasonal interest. I shall be interested to read any replies. I am sure your family will be very grateful for your thoughtful idea hope it goes well.

shysal, you have a beautiful garden!

Wow shysal that is a beautiful garden you have

Thank you, I enjoy it but it is by no means manicured! I go for ground cover and profusion.

For the children, they need somwhere to play outside and it certainly does not have to be grass. A play area, maybe rubber based with bark on top so it looks nice. A home made music station with pots and pans and wooden spoons hanging somewhere, a bug hotel, little table and a small bench or chairs so they can have tea parties, something equivalent to a home made wigwam where they can sit and read or tell stories, a climbing place maybe, a swing maybe

The concrete steps can be changed to wooden steps with low risers, would be safer. A dry border needs composted wood bark and a little bit of depth, remove any big stones then add short lavender plants like `little lady`

I have just made over my own garden which was also built on an old quarry and then filled with builders rocks and rubbish. I is also small so I have chosen not to have any grass and I have mixed fruit and veg in with flowers

Back to the steps, this is what I would do because it would be a manageable job for me (over 70) I would get the concrete out and make shallow tiers that could contain gravel then on top of the gravel I would source rectangular non-slip rubber stepping stones. Small retainers could be hammered in to stop the stepping stones from sliding anywhere

In summary, I would do the 3 things ie lavender in the dry border, change the steps and make a small play area

Well I love your style Shysal it looks amazing . My patch looks a bit bare right now as I have a lot of hydrangeas that are not in flower just yet. Hopefully It will be a profusion of colour in a month or two. Being in the deepest depths of the North of England our seasons tend to be a bit behind .

My pictures are of last year, mine is mainly green at the moment, although my potted Runaway Bride Hydrangea has over 100 flower heads forming.

As regards the steps, the height of the risers will be dictated by the steepness of the slope. My steps have different heights due to the undulations, which made them even more dangerous for GCs.

My own garden slopes away from the house so we have levelled the top by building a retaining wall . We have a small patio and (real) lawn with a path sloping down in one side . I have created a planting garden on the bottom tier . Will try and post a photo later but it’s a touch bare right now .

You could buy them a battery operated lawn mower. I have one by Bosch, they are not cheap but you dont need any electrical supply outside just need to charge up the small battery after use which can be kept anywhere. Excellent and saves a lot of hassle.

Shysal you're garden is really lovely. Do you have fences up or are your plants your boundary?

There used to be a lovely book called ‘Tiny Gardens’ in our local library. And the author really did mean tiny, not the ‘anything less than a quarter of an acre’ which often seems to be some gardening experts’ idea of ‘tiny’!

I wonder what a 140 ft long by 30ft one is considered to be, I used to find it easy but now I find it a chore. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else but wish it were smaller, I have surrounding huge trees which are never ending work but look pretty. I would like a smaller garden but as I won't move I'm doing my best.

Could you draw a picture showing the layout and rough measurements so that GNers can get a better idea of what would suit the area involved? Screenshot it and post here.

Another one who thinks your garden is so picturesque. A place to sleep and dream. ??

That was to shysal

To add colour and texture try thinking upwards, some trellis with climbers and wall planters and baskets with hanging plants. Its possible to get small planters which clip onto down pipes these look lovely with trailing ivy and basket flowers. The dry bed needs sun loving plants like lavender, poppies and succulents. If you look for silver leaves on plants they will mostly like the sun. Gravel between plants can look attractive in the sun. Lots of big pots which can be re planted for each season and small trees and ferns can look great in pots.

Shysal your garden looks lovely but I’m not sure how well it would stand up to two boys in a couple of years time.

Personally I would think this might be a case for artificial grass instead of real and much gentler steps wooden edges. Large grasses with tough plants like lavender and rosemary in the end bed with climbers in front of the walls at the back. Climbing hydrangea and cotoneaster are quite tough and withstand hot and dry quite well. With two boys the plants will need to be fairly tough. The garden can develop to look more Shysal-ish when they get older!