We want to make our garden a bit prettier. Key challenges are to:

1) Remove the shed (we have alternative storage space)
2) Replace the shed with an eating dining area
3) Hide the back brickwall
5) Find a way to hide or improve the cracked concrete that makes up the path and the ground where the shed currently is

A few challenges to achieving this are that we don't want to undertake heavy work such as removing the concrete because we don't have a side access. We don't want to create any high levels as we are planning on having children soon and want to make it safe.

Here is a link to see the garden.

Garden | Garden | Pinterest

Any help would be much appreciated.

On Thu, 18 Sep 2014 17:45:43 +0200, Kai_63
wrote:


We want to make our garden a bit prettier. Key challenges are to:

1) Remove the shed (we have alternative storage space)
2) Replace the shed with an eating dining area
3) Hide the back brickwall
5) Find a way to hide or improve the cracked concrete that makes up the
path and the ground where the shed currently is

None of those undertakings have anything to do with gardening... I
suggest you contact a building contractor.

On 9/18/2014 8:45 AM, Kai_63 wrote:
We want to make our garden a bit prettier. Key challenges are to:

1) Remove the shed (we have alternative storage space)
2) Replace the shed with an eating dining area
3) Hide the back brickwall
5) Find a way to hide or improve the cracked concrete that makes up the
path and the ground where the shed currently is

A few challenges to achieving this are that we don't want to undertake
heavy work such as removing the concrete because we don't have a side
access. We don't want to create any high levels as we are planning on
having children soon and want to make it safe.

Here is a link to see the garden.

'Garden | Garden | Pinterest' (http://tinyurl.com/lwpnuh6)

Any help would be much appreciated.

#3: Plant an evergreen vine. Or, if the wall does not offend you too
much, try a deciduous flowering vine. Not knowing your climate, I
cannot suggest a vine. Visit a local plant nursery and ask there.
Visit a public garden and see what they have planted.

#4: This is missing.

#5: I would break the concrete more, leaving large, irregular pieces.
Then pry the pieces apart 1-2 inches, including where there are
pre-existing cracks; this will leave an irregular edge to the walk.
Plant an aromatic ground cover (e.g., creeping thyme) in the gaps and
around the edges. (Some people pay a lot of money to bring in broken
concrete for this.)

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean, see
http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary

On 18/09/2014 21:54, Brooklyn1 wrote:
On Thu, 18 Sep 2014 17:45:43 +0200, Kai_63
wrote:


We want to make our garden a bit prettier. Key challenges are to:

1) Remove the shed (we have alternative storage space)
2) Replace the shed with an eating dining area
3) Hide the back brickwall
5) Find a way to hide or improve the cracked concrete that makes up the
path and the ground where the shed currently is

None of those undertakings have anything to do with gardening...

You obviously haven't been watching the Chelsea Flower Show for the past
few years (is it shown on PBS in the USA?). Seems to me that most "sow
gardens" at Chelsea these days barely have a plant in them - they seem
to consist mostly of concrete, bricks, rusty iron, and glass. Anything
green is conspicuous by its absence.

--

Jeff

On 19/09/2014 08:25, Jeff Layman wrote:

"sow gardens"

"sow gardens"???

Well, I meant "show gardens", of course, but then more than a few of
these gardens seem to be a bit of a pig's ear to me...

--

Jeff

Brooklyn1 wrote:
On Thu, 18 Sep 2014 17:45:43 +0200, Kai_63
wrote:


We want to make our garden a bit prettier. Key challenges are to:

1) Remove the shed (we have alternative storage space)
2) Replace the shed with an eating dining area
3) Hide the back brickwall
5) Find a way to hide or improve the cracked concrete that makes up the
path and the ground where the shed currently is

None of those undertakings have anything to do with gardening... I
suggest you contact a building contractor.

UKians consider "garden" differently than USians.
....

but then think about what a person in an arid
climate would consider a garden.


songbird

songbird wrote:
Brooklyn1 wrote:
Kai_63 wrote:

We want to make our garden a bit prettier. Key challenges are to:

1) Remove the shed (we have alternative storage space)

Demolition.

2) Replace the shed with an eating dining area

Table & Chairs = trip to IKEA.

3) Hide the back brickwall

Hire a local graffiti artist.

5) Find a way to hide or improve the cracked concrete that makes up the
path and the ground where the shed currently is

Remove and replace; hire a paving contractor or DIY.

None of those undertakings have anything to do with gardening... I
suggest you contact a building contractor.

UKians consider "garden" differently than USians.

Still has nothing to do with gardening... that's like redoing ones
bathroom.

but then think about what a person in an arid
climate would consider a garden.

Now you're being silly, there are lots of plants that grow in arid
climes... cacti and succulents for two... and even in a desert one can
bring in topsoil and irrigation and plant crops, etc. But replacing a
shed is not gardening.

On Thursday, September 18, 2014 3:20:28 PM UTC-7, David E. Ross wrote:
On 9/18/2014 8:45 AM, Kai_63 wrote:

We want to make our garden a bit prettier. Key challenges are to:



1) Remove the shed (we have alternative storage space)

2) Replace the shed with an eating dining area

3) Hide the back brickwall

5) Find a way to hide or improve the cracked concrete that makes up the

path and the ground where the shed currently is



A few challenges to achieving this are that we don't want to undertake

heavy work such as removing the concrete because we don't have a side

access. We don't want to create any high levels as we are planning on

having children soon and want to make it safe.



Here is a link to see the garden.



'Garden | Garden | Pinterest' (http://tinyurl.com/lwpnuh6)



Any help would be much appreciated.



#3: Plant an evergreen vine. Or, if the wall does not offend you too

much, try a deciduous flowering vine. Not knowing your climate, I

cannot suggest a vine. Visit a local plant nursery and ask there.

Visit a public garden and see what they have planted.



#4: This is missing.



#5: I would break the concrete more, leaving large, irregular pieces.

Then pry the pieces apart 1-2 inches, including where there are

pre-existing cracks; this will leave an irregular edge to the walk.

Plant an aromatic ground cover (e.g., creeping thyme) in the gaps and

around the edges. (Some people pay a lot of money to bring in broken

concrete for this.)

As usual, David is courteous ...

I was also going to suggest a vine for the brick wall. A brick wall is a valuable thing! Depending on your climate, even just plain ivy would do well, if not too much sun exposure. But if you'd like a flowering vine --that might grow quickly -- your local nursery is the best place to ask. Having viewed your brick wall in pic, I'd strongly endorse the vine option.

If you don't have access to a nursery, go on-line, remembering that you MUST
specify climate, rainfall, sun exposure, quality of soil, etc. to get helpful input.

David's advice about broken concrete with low-growing ground cover in between is doable. I actually opted for dymondia to make a path to a gate, even though it will take several years for it to blend into a sturdy, walkable mat, temporarily interspersed w/left-over concrete bits. (If I had put in more plants, it would have taken shorter time.)

Not sure I get it about "no side access". Pic doesn't show where the path BEGINS, only where it butts into the brick walls. Where does it go?

Project need not disable "access" for more than a day or two, if you bring in a crew, or even some sturdy teenagers to cut up the concrete. You can pile up the surplus concrete pieces somewhere out of the way while you advertise it for free pickup.

Meantime the ground cover will be growing among the pieces of the path you design.

Why can't you just walk on the grass while the path is being rebuilt?

If don't want to go for the broken concrete-cum-ground cover bit, you may have to bring in a crew to cut up & remove. Then put in pavers that have holes to allow plants to go through. Or get hold of some old bricks and plant between them. Since this is only a footpath rather than a driveway, there are many alternatives.

Replacing shed with casual dining area (and nice big umbrella or permanent canopy) is a dynamite idea. Try not to skimp on quality if possible, as sun deteriorates outdoor furniture fast (again, depending on how much sun you get).

If I might suggest: Taller plants against the fence to the L. in the pic.

HTH

HB

On 19/09/2014 20:08, Hypatia Nachshon wrote:

As usual, David is courteous ...

I was also going to suggest a vine for the brick wall. A brick wall
is a valuable thing! Depending on your climate, even just plain ivy
would do well, if not too much sun exposure. But if you'd like a
flowering vine --that might grow quickly -- your local nursery is the
best place to ask. Having viewed your brick wall in pic, I'd
strongly endorse the vine option.

I assume the OP is in the UK. That brick wall is not his property, and,
without the permission of the owner, he cannot do anything to it without
risking legal action. He might get away with planting ivy or, another
self-clinging plant at the base of the wall, and hope they grow up it,
but that's all. No hooks, wire, trellis, or even paint. In any case,
it would take years for any self-clinging climbing plant to cover a wall
of that size..

Not sure I get it about "no side access". Pic doesn't show where the
path BEGINS, only where it butts into the brick walls. Where does it
go?

What the OP means is that all the houses in the street are joined to
each other without any gaps at the side, so it is not possible to bring
in any earth-moving equipment or gardening materials by that route.The
path will end at the back door of the house; in the UK this is almost
invariably the door from the kitchen to the garden. So any materials for
the garden have to be brought through the front door, usually along a
hall, into the kitchen, and then out into the garden.

--

Jeff

Jeff Layman wrote:
Hypatia Nachshon wrote:

I was also going to suggest a vine for the brick wall. A brick wall
is a valuable thing! Depending on your climate, even just plain ivy
would do well, if not too much sun exposure. But if you'd like a
flowering vine --that might grow quickly -- your local nursery is the
best place to ask. Having viewed your brick wall in pic, I'd
strongly endorse the vine option.

I assume the OP is in the UK. That brick wall is not his property, and,
without the permission of the owner, he cannot do anything to it without
risking legal action. He might get away with planting ivy or, another
self-clinging plant at the base of the wall, and hope they grow up it,
but that's all. No hooks, wire, trellis, or even paint. In any case,
it would take years for any self-clinging climbing plant to cover a wall
of that size.

If not the poster's wall I'd suggest doing nothing to it... attach
nothing without permission, not even a vine... find out if the
property line allows enough land to grow a hedge or a row of some sort
of conifers that would hide the wall... but I don't think a brick wall
is so visually offensive... besides it was probably there all along so
it it offends the poster he shouldn't have moved there. I would
simply accept it until such time as one can move elsewhere, the wall
ain't going anywhere anytime soon.

On Friday, September 19, 2014 4:51:05 PM UTC-7, Brooklyn1 wrote:
Jeff Layman wrote:

Hypatia Nachshon wrote:



I was also going to suggest a vine for the brick wall. A brick wall

is a valuable thing! Depending on your climate, even just plain ivy

would do well, if not too much sun exposure. But if you'd like a

flowering vine --that might grow quickly -- your local nursery is the

best place to ask. Having viewed your brick wall in pic, I'd

strongly endorse the vine option.



I assume the OP is in the UK. That brick wall is not his property, and,

without the permission of the owner, he cannot do anything to it without

risking legal action. He might get away with planting ivy or, another

self-clinging plant at the base of the wall, and hope they grow up it,

but that's all. No hooks, wire, trellis, or even paint. In any case,

it would take years for any self-clinging climbing plant to cover a wall

of that size.



If not the poster's wall I'd suggest doing nothing to it... attach

nothing without permission, not even a vine... find out if the

property line allows enough land to grow a hedge or a row of some sort

of conifers that would hide the wall... but I don't think a brick wall

is so visually offensive... besides it was probably there all along so

it it offends the poster he shouldn't have moved there. I would

simply accept it until such time as one can move elsewhere, the wall

ain't going anywhere anytime soon.

This whole megillah about UK wall/property/access is hardly comprehensible to this Yank.

The only other contribution I could make to a situation which I cannot even begin to visualize has to do with the aesthetics of the brick wall. If, as some here aver, you cannot make any changes to it, e.g. even attach a vine, you could still consider the following:

Construct or acquire a large redwood structure -- trellis-type thingie -- to harmonize with the wood fence (is fence redwood?), and place it so as to mask the brick wall (which is not particularly attractive).

If you then construct a platform for your outdoor dining area out of the same material, you could end up with a harmonious whole.

Good luck!

HB

Hypatia Nachshon wrote:
Brooklyn1 wrote:
Jeff Layman wrote:
Hypatia Nachshon wrote:



I was also going to suggest a vine for the brick wall. A brick wall

is a valuable thing! Depending on your climate, even just plain ivy

would do well, if not too much sun exposure. But if you'd like a

flowering vine --that might grow quickly -- your local nursery is the

best place to ask. Having viewed your brick wall in pic, I'd

strongly endorse the vine option.



I assume the OP is in the UK. That brick wall is not his property, and,

without the permission of the owner, he cannot do anything to it without

risking legal action. He might get away with planting ivy or, another

self-clinging plant at the base of the wall, and hope they grow up it,

but that's all. No hooks, wire, trellis, or even paint. In any case,

it would take years for any self-clinging climbing plant to cover a wall

of that size.



If not the poster's wall I'd suggest doing nothing to it... attach

nothing without permission, not even a vine... find out if the

property line allows enough land to grow a hedge or a row of some sort

of conifers that would hide the wall... but I don't think a brick wall

is so visually offensive... besides it was probably there all along so

it it offends the poster he shouldn't have moved there. I would

simply accept it until such time as one can move elsewhere, the wall

ain't going anywhere anytime soon.

This whole megillah about UK wall/property/access is hardly comprehensible to this Yank.

The only other contribution I could make to a situation which I cannot even begin to visualize has to do with the aesthetics of the brick wall. If, as some here aver, you cannot make any changes to it, e.g. even attach a vine, you could still consider the following:

Construct or acquire a large redwood structure -- trellis-type thingie -- to harmonize with the wood fence (is fence redwood?), and place it so as to mask the brick wall (which is not particularly attractive).

If you then construct a platform for your outdoor dining area out of the same material, you could end up with a harmonious whole.

Good luck!

HB

To plant anything to hide that wall we'd need to know what direction
it faces, if north facing no sun would strike that wall making choices
very limited... if south facing receiving direct sun will heat those
bricks to temperatures that no plants nearby can survive. Without
photos of the back yard showing all the pertinent features it's not
possible to offer advice other than wild speculation... for all we
know that brick wall is a six foot tall structure as a fence between
properties or the wall of a four story apartment building.

Thanks for all the replies. There's some very nice ideas - hadn't considered breaking up the concrete and planting in the cracks, not sure I've even seen that before so will look it up and investigate.

The posters above who confirmed that the wall isn't ours are right. For the record, I didn't have a choice about it when I moved here, it is my husband's property, he chose it before I married him! I'm not so keen on it unfortunately. We are considering asking the homeowner's permission to add a trellis, but perhaps if we can't do that, we are better off putting in railway sleepers and planting high plants in them as they shouldn't require building against the wall as such.

It's a northeast facing garden so there is some sun in the morning but not in the afternoon. I am quite happy to investigate plants that we can plant there (the plants in the borders were all planted by me, based on the environment, soil etc). I'm no expert but they are still living after two years!

It's the hard landscaping bits that I'm struggling with (sorry to the poster who feels that this isn't gardening, but surely you need the right structures in place such as trellises etc in order for the plants you choose to thrive in your particular garden)? It's still part and parcel of gardening in my opinion.

The poster who mentioned the side access is right, unfortunately we live in a Victorian terrace house (or rather, fortunately, because it's a lovely building, but unfortunately because it means all access to the garden is via the house). I'm reluctant to do anything too messy but I may just have to bite the bullet on that front I think.

Thanks again for all the great ideas.

On Tue, 30 Sep 2014 12:59:05 +0200, Kai_63
wrote:


Brooklyn1;1008098 Wrote:
Hypatia Nachshon wrote:-
Brooklyn1 wrote:-
Jeff Layman wrote:-
Hypatia Nachshon wrote:-
-
-
-
I was also going to suggest a vine for the brick wall. A brick wall-
-
is a valuable thing! Depending on your climate, even just plain ivy-
-
would do well, if not too much sun exposure. But if you'd like a-
-
flowering vine --that might grow quickly -- your local nursery is
the-
-
best place to ask. Having viewed your brick wall in pic, I'd-
-
strongly endorse the vine option.-
-
-
-
I assume the OP is in the UK. That brick wall is not his property,
and, -
-
without the permission of the owner, he cannot do anything to it
without -
-
risking legal action. He might get away with planting ivy or, another
-
-
self-clinging plant at the base of the wall, and hope they grow up it,
-
-
but that's all. No hooks, wire, trellis, or even paint. In any case,
-
-
it would take years for any self-clinging climbing plant to cover a
wall -
-
of that size.-



If not the poster's wall I'd suggest doing nothing to it... attach

nothing without permission, not even a vine... find out if the

property line allows enough land to grow a hedge or a row of some sort

of conifers that would hide the wall... but I don't think a brick wall

is so visually offensive... besides it was probably there all along so

it it offends the poster he shouldn't have moved there. I would

simply accept it until such time as one can move elsewhere, the wall

ain't going anywhere anytime soon.-

This whole megillah about UK wall/property/access is hardly
comprehensible to this Yank.

The only other contribution I could make to a situation which I cannot
even begin to visualize has to do with the aesthetics of the brick wall.
If, as some here aver, you cannot make any changes to it, e.g. even
attach a vine, you could still consider the following:

Construct or acquire a large redwood structure -- trellis-type thingie
-- to harmonize with the wood fence (is fence redwood?), and place it so
as to mask the brick wall (which is not particularly attractive).

If you then construct a platform for your outdoor dining area out of the
same material, you could end up with a harmonious whole.

Good luck!

HB-

To plant anything to hide that wall we'd need to know what direction
it faces, if north facing no sun would strike that wall making choices
very limited... if south facing receiving direct sun will heat those
bricks to temperatures that no plants nearby can survive. Without
photos of the back yard showing all the pertinent features it's not
possible to offer advice other than wild speculation... for all we
know that brick wall is a six foot tall structure as a fence between
properties or the wall of a four story apartment building.



Thanks for all the replies. There's some very nice ideas - hadn't
considered breaking up the concrete and planting in the cracks, not sure
I've even seen that before so will look it up and investigate.

The posters above who confirmed that the wall isn't ours are right. For
the record, I didn't have a choice about it when I moved here, it is my
husband's property, he chose it before I married him! I'm not so keen on
it unfortunately. We are considering asking the homeowner's permission
to add a trellis, but perhaps if we can't do that, we are better off
putting in railway sleepers and planting high plants in them as they
shouldn't require building against the wall as such.

It's a northeast facing garden so there is some sun in the morning but
not in the afternoon. I am quite happy to investigate plants that we can
plant there (the plants in the borders were all planted by me, based on
the environment, soil etc). I'm no expert but they are still living
after two years!

It's the hard landscaping bits that I'm struggling with (sorry to the
poster who feels that this isn't gardening, but surely you need the
right structures in place such as trellises etc in order for the plants
you choose to thrive in your particular garden)? It's still part and
parcel of gardening in my opinion.

The poster who mentioned the side access is right, unfortunately we live
in a Victorian terrace house (or rather, fortunately, because it's a
lovely building, but unfortunately because it means all access to the
garden is via the house). I'm reluctant to do anything too messy but I
may just have to bite the bullet on that front I think.

Thanks again for all the great ideas.

Still no picture or at least a description of that wall; height?,
is it a building wall?

It's the side of a two storey house, all red brick and at least 7 metres high. The wall is visible on my pinterest link on my original post. Thanks.