Making full use of a garden [AD]
We’re slowly doing our house up bit by bit and when the spring comes, I want to do the garden as well. The problem with our garden at the moment is that we don’t make best use of the space. The area at the back of the house used to be on a steep hill, so my dad and husband decked it about five years ago. Now, it’s a nice large, smooth area where the children can play, ride their bikes and have the trampoline. Since then though, we haven’t done much more.
Fencing the front garden
when I bought the house, there was a large garden to one side of it. Because of the layout, I didn’t really use it so I got planning permission for a house on there and sold it as a building plot. Since then, we’ve only really used the decked area at the back, despite the fact that there is a small grass area to the side and a large lawn at the front, ideal for testing out a go kart.
Last year, I got a quote for fencing off the front garden so I could incorporate it into the useable area for the children to play. It wasn’t ridiculously expensive, but I haven’t got around to it yet. It’s on the list of things that need doing. Since getting the quote, we’ve had an incredibly wet winter and the side garden has ended up ridiculously muddy.
With that in mind, I need to find a way to prevent it from getting so muddy if we’re going to have it as a useable area. One option is to put down Artificial Grass on that small patch. When Libby was tiny, we used to have a swing there for her. It would be great to be able to reclaim it and put in a play set for the girls.
Avoiding nesting season
At the moment, we have huge trees between our side garden and the front garden. They’re conifers that are great for privacy and they’re also a favourite for the birds. For me to incorporate the front garden into the rest of the garden, some of these trees will have to come down. Nesting season in the UK is officially from February to August but it can begin earlier and go on later.
Whilst I need to be realistic that I won’t manage to get the trees down completely before February, I do need to make a start before then. I’ll prune the tops of all of them and cut the foliage off the ones that need to come out. That should allow me to cut them down completely when I’m ready without disturbing any birds. But if they do nest in them, the trees will have to stay there until the autumn.
As another nod to nature, I’m hoping to have a little area with bee friendly wild flowers. I also want a little vegetable patch, I’ve missed being able to grow things in the garden. It’s easy to have grand plans but getting around to doing it is always difficult. Fingers crossed 2020 is a productive year and we have a bigger, more useable garden by the summer.
