Budget Garden Makeover

When we first came to view our home it was love at first sight. The house was the perfect space for us and it had so much potential. The only thing that left us with doubt was the garden.

The land sloped down behind the house which meant that privacy from neighbours was harder to achieve. The previous owners solution was to divide the space. They put a large trellis along the patio for screening, but this also meant diminishing the garden to about a third of its size. Behind the trellis was a sloped lawn which was also fenced off and then decking on three levels. It really was quite quirky and far from my perfectly geometric modern dreams. Nevertheless we bought the house and the garden was something we’d have to deal with later…

We did nothing much at first; our thoughts were that one day we would get it levelled out but we soon discovered the cost was just too great. We had to find a way to make the garden functional, and it had to be on a budget.

It really has been a labour of love! Here’s what we did…

What do you think? The trellis and fence had to come down to get rid of all the division and open the garden up. This was easier said than done, but so worth the effort. It still left us with the problem of privacy, so we bought bamboo and potted it up in large containers at the back of the garden. We’ve only had it a few months and already it’s filling out nicely! It casts beautiful shadows in the light and the rustling of the leaves creates the most calming sound. This was our biggest splurge as we went for more established bamboo for immediate privacy.

We wanted a designated area for eating outside so we created a simple dining area. We painting the fence smokey grey and planted peonies and hydrangeas in black pots for more foliage and a modern look. (Plus they’re my favourite!)

I love being able to dress it up and dine al fresco on a nice day 🙂

The lawn was in a bad way and made up of mostly moss and weeds, so we put down weed killer, scarified it and then lay new seed. After a few weeks of dedicated watering, (shoutout to our lovely neighbour who kept this up while we were away…) we have a new lawn…

In order to make the garden feel more level we dug out a wide boarder on the slope and planted it up, tall at the back to shorter plants at the front, so visually it looks the same level as the patio. We are very fortunate that my parents have a large established garden and so we were gifted many of the plants to fill it out saving us so much cost.

Oh, and these were my first ever summer pots which I’m so proud of 🙂 not bad for someone who has never had green fingers!

Did you see that clematis along the garage wall? This is it in full bloom, it’s one of the treasures we did inherit with the garden!

And things wouldn’t be complete without a wisteria. We bought this one three years ago and Mr F has done an amazing job training it along the back fence.

Whilst there’s still things we’d like to alter, we can honestly say we now have a garden that we are proud of and love to spend time in. Now when the sun comes out we’re able to enjoy a mini holiday at home 🙂