We have been in our home for just shy of a year now and we finally know what we want to do to the garden and better yet, are tackling it.
As I have mentioned before our home is rented which does limit us to some degree as to what we can do as we have to put it all back when we move, which understandably delayed plans with the garden. But we have measured, discussed and had a drink and finally the plan is complete.
We started by discussing what things we wanted, what we need and what we couldn't stand. The short version is this:-
Decking - we needed decking as we have an 8 inch drop outside the back door which was a bit of a safety hazard. The decking will be approx 6 inches high (due to electricity box etc on the wall) which is much more reasonable.
Grass - the gravel isn't exactly family friendly. We hate it, the cats hate it, friends and family hate it. It had to go, but as we cannot just give it away we are going to put it inside the decking frame so it's hidden and when we remove the decking we can rake it off the patio and Voila! The garden is returned to it's former unglory.
Flowerbeds - now I like flowers, but in small doses. We however love growing our own vegetables and thus a flowerbed was a must. We will plant some flowers between the veggies for a more natural, full and attractive look.
Seating - we are currently torn between a bistro set or big floor cushions, but we know that somewhere to soak up the sun in the evening with some wine and music was a must for us.
Barbecue - this is a big want for us, but not a need. With this in mind we know what we want and where it will go but we won't be buying one just yet as it isn't a priority.
Another factor we had to think of were our cats. Tinkerbell absolutely adores our garden, she soaks up the sun and runs around all day if you let her (as shown in the pictures below of her between the fence and our trellis playing peekaboo). However Bear (in the blue harness) isn't so sure. We aren't sure what his experience with gardens is, but in the 6ish months we've had him he has been scared of the garden. And the one time he went out he jumped over a wall, almost killed himself (hubby had to go find him!) And finally as one big bruise he came home. He had fallen approx 10 feet onto a metal desk, he hit it with such force he wee'd everywhere and winded himself. We nursed him back to health and this week he has been sitting by the door/window and staring longingly at Tinkerbell in the sun.
Today (as the pictures show, sorry about the bottle of nail varnish remover) he came and stuck himself out the living room window and sniffed around. He was very interested and curious. So we popped his harness and lead on and we walked around the garden a few times. He ignored the wall from his previous adventure, checked out the door, hopped back through the window and then came and soaked up some sun. We made a huge fuss of him (which Tinkerbell told us off for) because that was a huge deal for him and we were very proud and he purred away. Hopefully by the time the garden is done he will be happy to go in and out.
We are lucky in that the decking going onto the patio area only means while we save for that we can work on the rest of the garden. We have measured and priced up and the decking will cost approx £185, so we have given ourselves £200 for the garden makeover (not including seating since we can't decide what to do yet). We already have £50 on a B&Q gift card and so we plan to add £50 a month for the next 3 months.
We will spend £15 of that this month on seeds etc. So that in June we can install the decking and enjoy! We will probably spend more to be completely honest, but that will be on those little extras like lights and we will DIY as much as possible and shop around for deals.
We are looking forward to turning our courtyard into a family garden with something for everyone (:
