I’m always being asked for ideas for breaking up the space in a shallow wide garden, and also how to make it look longer.
Many houses today are being built on small, individual plots. Gardens are getting smaller and they’re often shallow or odd wedge-shapes.
So I asked garden designer Posy Gentles. She’s just done a brilliant garden makeover on a shallow wide garden in Whitstable.
How to design a shallow wide gardenCreate a brief. List everything you want to do in the gardenDecide on your styleUse trees, planting, sculpture etc in the centre to ‘interrupt’ the view to the back fenceDivide the garden into thirds, going acrossSplit the garden into zones – for plants, eating out, storage etcUse paths, borders or planting to mark out the zonesKeep materials simple in a smaller space – use harmonious pavers and bricks.Decide on a colour scheme – use paint to marry everything togetherCreate planting close to the houseCreate a garden design ‘brief’Whether you’re designing a garden for someone else or creating one for yourself, the starting point is the same.
And the starting point is also the same for big or small gardens, for wide shallow gardens or long thin ones.
The first step is to make a list of everything you want to do in your garden and everything you want from your garden.
Do you want to eat outside with friends and/or relax alone with a book? Do you want to sunbathe or do you prefer shade? What about a children’s play area, storage or privacy?
What would you like to see when you look out at the garden from the house? And also when you’re in the garden looking back?
Read how to design a garden if you’re not a garden designer. Then create a brief for yourself.
Then consider what style of garden you’d like. See 12 garden styles
Read more on themiddlesizedgarden.co.uk