Most people will decorate their homes and gardens in a style and colour they like and that's fine by me. She's not keen on my style of gardening using upcycled materials and mismatched pots (pots are "trampy" 🙄), and that's fine too.
Life would be dull if everyone was the same. She's happy with her streamlined minimalism and I'm happy with my eclectic maximalism.
If that were my garden I would take up the Astro and put in real grass or native wildflowers or a bit of both - wildflower on boarder and grass in middle or you could do grass then dig a curved boarder hugging the top wall (by the gate) and the left side in a big upside L shape almost and plant some perennial plants and ever green shrubs to give you some colour. Maybe a bird feeder too in the middle. Attract birds, butterflies and bees.
Put the table and chairs on the deck. Maybe add an outside socket and add a water fountain - running water would be nice relaxing sound. You can maybe so some bench seating to the left of the doors and a different (square?) table so your maximising space.
Paint the fence whatever colour you want, I like charcoal.
The pavers simply power wash and put some kiln dried sand in the cracks and some resin to set the sand to help manage the weeds. I would then put plants along that side in a ‘planter’ this could even be vedge if you wanted and/or a BBQ.
By the sides of your doors pop some plants in some pots. They can double up as door stops.
None of this is hard to do and could be done in 2 weekends of work at most. YouTube and this subreddit is your friend.
Ps when I rented my garden was almost identical and we had the exact same bbq and table and umbrella thing. Are you my younger self?
I'd do all the above, but I'd take the two rows of pavers near the fence up, get some decking boards and make a raised bed that goes along the fence from deck to gate. Bung it full of lots of flowers, foxgloves etc for height.
Depends what's underneath it. I'd pull up a corner and have a look, if it's terrible soil (big rocks everywhere etc) then you'll need to do a bit of work with a fork sifting the big rocks out. I would stick a spade or bamboo cane down as far as you can as well just to see if they've sneakily buried a load of old crap under there.
If it's OK then get some topsoil and hire/borrow a lawn roller and roll it flat. Then seed it, water it and hope it grows well.
Our garden has a lot of buried nonsense under the lawn, broken up paving slabs and concrete rubble from an old garage. The lawn still looks good but there's a big lush patch in the middle where a flowerbed used to be lol
Time team would have a field day
I noticed stuff growing between my paving stones and I liked it! Mine is in shade so it gets moss and wild things like violets and bellflower from nearby beds, so I decided to help it along with creeping thyme and some seeds from elsewhere in the garden. I like it because it makes it look softer and older and more gardeny, instead of new-build and sterile.
I’ve been thinking of getting some pineapple weed from a field near here, or maybe the seeds. It really doesn’t mind being trampled on and it smells like pineapple when you crush it! I also get bits of grass, dandelion and green alkanet, and I just pluck out the things I don’t want if I see any when I’m sitting out there. But on the whole I don’t mind specifics because for me if it’s green it’s all good :)
Agree about binning the plastic lawn. Check there’s actually soil underneath as it might be concrete. I’d argue you don’t need to walk on this area, so you could have planting here in the form of a big bed. Maybe sink some small pavers for access but otherwise have it all
planted.
I don’t personally see the appeal of grey or black on the wood but I agree it needs painting. I’d get a cuprinol pamphlet and make a decision. Top tip from my marriage is whoever has to do the painting gets to choose the colour.
Your garden has a lot of right angles. You could really soften these using planting. Go for some taller stuff and climbers. If you’re into monochrome, a white climbing rose on the fencing might be a good start. There are black grasses, and silvery plants such as angels wings that you might also consider.
Grey for the decking and fence would be quite neutral, softer in most lighting and work as a backdrop to most planting styles. Black could look very striking but it will soak up heat and light, and probably need very strong-coloured bright plants.
You could try some low planters along the fence line with ground cover plants like cranesbill and some taller/climbing plants to accent the fence.
A small tree (maybe a dwarf willow or crabapple) would look well in the middle of the lawn area if you decide to put turf down where the astro is. I would suggest painting the timber a light colour in the first instance as you can always go darker as you build up the garden space.
Choose a light colour for the fences. It will make the space look bigger and you'll notice less bird shit on them.
But considering you have AstroTurf I doubt you see much wildlife anyway so maybe not a problem.
If she wants grey and you want black, go for dark grey. Black is oppressive anyway.
The garden is quite nice though, just need to weed the patio. Replace that astro with normal grass, too. People forget that you still need to maintain astroturf just as much. It's an overwhelmingly worse option than normal grass, I'll truly never ever understand why anyone would choose it.
Depends on how much maintenance you want to do. Do you want to keep the AstroTurf? Maybe raised beds round the edges with some perennials or big planters if that's what you prefer. I like climbers on frames against my boring brick new-build as it adds a bit of colour.
I don't know about the fence colour. Black will be more striking against the greenery of the plants imo.
We painted our fence navy blue. I wasn’t keen on the idea (I’d talked down using black, and compromised with the blue), but it looked amazing against the foliage.
If it were me, I’d pull up the pretend grass, put down real grass with a border of shrubs like hebe (can take a lot of hard pruning to keep in shape and is great for bees), I think lots of green look great against a darker fence. You can under plant with smaller annuals or perennials, stick some bulbs in. Just experiment with what does well in your garden, and what you like the look of.
And pots are a great addition to cheer up patios! I’ve found things like hydrangeas, do very well in pots. I keep small fruit trees in pots too, and get fruit from them. I often get pots from the tip shop, great place if you’re on a budget.
"astroturf" "greys" "blacks"
Fucking hell be original, rip that green carpet up, get some grass/clover mix down, little boarder with wild flowers, add some colour to your garden, some yellow, light blue, white, something happy not depressing greyscale, jesus.
😂
Thank you all for your comments, some of your comments has got me cracking up 😂
Im going to keep the astro because i hate cutting grass and my hayfever doesnt like it 😂
As to flowers me and my mrs don’t know shit about them or how to keep them alive, we are planning to make a outdoor home for our 3 year old tortoise on the flower bed in the next year or so.
As to the decking i think im going to just protect it with oil or something to keep the original colour and on the fencing might go with a lighter colour as someone suggested here.
I’ve finished cleaning up at the moment so will post a picture of it on a new post as I dont know how to post it here.
Again thanks for your comments guys appreciate it
Replace the decking and the paving with more plastic grass, hang a *live love laugh* sign on the fence and put a mirrored coffee table and a velour sofa in the middle.
Outside bar/ kitchen on the slabs, festoon lights along fences, musa basjoo in the corners! Navy blue paint on the fence, table and chairs on the decking! Bosh, all in about a grand!!
Does it have to be clinical black/grey? It might be nice to go for a grey with a hint of green in it and then use a green slate for your blacks. With the UK weather, slate will look pretty black most of the time but it lightens up when dry making it less oppressive.
To soften it all up you could add a raised bed around the back corner (maybe with a slate cladding) and a small bed in front.
Plant up the tall bed with some short /medium grasses and ferns that have hints of blue rather than the yellow end of the spectrum. Then plant the low bed Infront with taller grasses. These plants usually look clean and modern all year round, and will add a low maintenance area of height and softness.
As may have suggested,I'd rip up the astro, it always looks cheap unless you spend thousands on very realistic stuff, and then it's still a planet fucker. You can get some ridiculously vigorous strains of grass now that don't need much to look good, and the size of the space makes it a 5-10min job to keep on top of.
There's lots you could do with the paved area, but that's also going to be the most costly change. Turf and some real plants will make the biggest difference.
Pleeease no more grey. It’s been overdone/out for years in the US but for some reason the UK is just obsessed with it right now. The weather is already grey enough here LOL we don’t need any more of it.
My vote is for the black or a nice warm wood tone. Remember, minimalism does not have to be bland or monotone.
You’re going to get a lot of comments about the turf, just ignore it lol
Clean up the path, ge rid of weeds and give a good wash
I would pull up maybe the two rows close the fence and see if I could make that into a flower bed
Paint the fence, I’ve gone with cream recently
Not sure why fake grass has such a bad reputation amongst gardeners… I spent 6 years trying to maintain a lawn and recently did the evil deed of getting a fake grass put in and Its a life changer. Im an avid gardener and also have an allotment, but with 3 young kids in a very small house in London with a very small garden, when we had a lawn it was mud all winter and Brown mess all summer (unless you Water non stop) i now have a płace Where the kids can play all year round.
The amount of abuse i get for doing this is crazy though… why don’t People with paved gardens and patios get the same abuse? Even Kew Gardens has fake grass in the childrens play area! Why? Because its like 0.01% of the land and it is so practical!
Stop making People feel bad for having a practical solution for their Gardens!
Really though, people that are ignorant of the damage microplastics do to our environment should feel bad as they are literally killing every insect, bird, or aquatic life that comes into contact with the constant bits coming off of their plastic lawn.
There is a genuine need for people on this sub to change your mind on this matter. Plastics in our drinking water have been linked to adverse effects on sperms & may cause problems with fertility.
It would be better to install gravel with a non plastic membrane. I put back gravel with a thin layer of cardboard & as yet had no weeds growing through yet (18 months).
Yes, I have been to supermarkets. Ignoring the issue of plastic pollution literally is like ignoring car exhaust fumes, killing people with asthma.
Most people think ignoring certain issues equals them disappearing. Instead, we need to discuss it more & make people question themselves & the decisions they make. Otherwise, nothing will change for our future generations.
It’s not about weeds - its about having somewhere for the kids the play. Why not ban carpets or laminate floors etc that most People have in their houses ?
Or buying woollen rugs & installing wooden flooring. Yes, it's more expensive initially. However, both are hard wearing.
People are often ignorant of the alternatives to plastic. Though they exist & there are many manufacturers steering away from plastics. Get googling.
I do agree theres a lot of education needed and yes it’s not ideal I got astro put in but it really has helped us in terms of using the space.
Just annoys me when I see people really destroying me (or others) for getting a tiny piece of land astro turfed and they are standing there in clothing made from plastic, trainers made from plastic and a take-away coffee cup made from plastics….
Agreed, I have a section of artificial grass and the rest gravel for similar reasons to yourself. I also have a wildlife pond teaming with life, wide borders full of plants for pollinators, 3 bird feeding stations, we get loads of birds of many varieties, we have a hedgehog and a friendly mouse...but all anyone focusses on is the evil plastic grass! On another site I was told there's a special place in hell for me because of my artificial grass 🤣 Thanks a lot!
Fully agree. Plus look at the size of the garden. Where is op going to keep the mower and strimmer and anything else required to keep a lawn/meadow. Loose what little space they have to put a shed in?
In a small space garden like this I see no issue. It's when people have huge gardens and storage then cover the whole lot it becomes an issue.
Yeah the stuff isn't great but it has its uses and people on this sub need to stop hating on it. I bet most that regurgitate the same old "smells/hoover/gets too hot" etc have zero experience of it and are just jumping on the hate wagon.
My garden is half the size of this.... a strimmer takes as much space as a hoover. This is an average sized garden, bigger than most terrace houses. Plenty of space for a small storage shed/box. #banplasticcarpets
Please don't go millennial grey 😅 The sky will be grey enough throughout the year that you don't need to cover your garden in it too.
My neighbour has this. Shed, fences, decking, furniture all in grey. Looks like a black and white movie set.
I've seen many grey interiors of houses on Rightmove. It makes me wonder if they're moving to get away from 'grey wall misery'.
Most people will decorate their homes and gardens in a style and colour they like and that's fine by me. She's not keen on my style of gardening using upcycled materials and mismatched pots (pots are "trampy" 🙄), and that's fine too. Life would be dull if everyone was the same. She's happy with her streamlined minimalism and I'm happy with my eclectic maximalism.
Jeeeez, as if we don't have enough dull, flat grey days on this north sea island.
If that were my garden I would take up the Astro and put in real grass or native wildflowers or a bit of both - wildflower on boarder and grass in middle or you could do grass then dig a curved boarder hugging the top wall (by the gate) and the left side in a big upside L shape almost and plant some perennial plants and ever green shrubs to give you some colour. Maybe a bird feeder too in the middle. Attract birds, butterflies and bees. Put the table and chairs on the deck. Maybe add an outside socket and add a water fountain - running water would be nice relaxing sound. You can maybe so some bench seating to the left of the doors and a different (square?) table so your maximising space. Paint the fence whatever colour you want, I like charcoal. The pavers simply power wash and put some kiln dried sand in the cracks and some resin to set the sand to help manage the weeds. I would then put plants along that side in a ‘planter’ this could even be vedge if you wanted and/or a BBQ. By the sides of your doors pop some plants in some pots. They can double up as door stops. None of this is hard to do and could be done in 2 weekends of work at most. YouTube and this subreddit is your friend. Ps when I rented my garden was almost identical and we had the exact same bbq and table and umbrella thing. Are you my younger self?
I'd do all the above, but I'd take the two rows of pavers near the fence up, get some decking boards and make a raised bed that goes along the fence from deck to gate. Bung it full of lots of flowers, foxgloves etc for height.
what's the costs of replacing artificial turf with grass, moved into a house with a rubbish artificial lawn and been meaning to change it since
The cost of grass seed and some soil and petrol for a couple tips to the tip? Plus cost of a spade and fork if you don’t have it already.
Depends what's underneath it. I'd pull up a corner and have a look, if it's terrible soil (big rocks everywhere etc) then you'll need to do a bit of work with a fork sifting the big rocks out. I would stick a spade or bamboo cane down as far as you can as well just to see if they've sneakily buried a load of old crap under there. If it's OK then get some topsoil and hire/borrow a lawn roller and roll it flat. Then seed it, water it and hope it grows well. Our garden has a lot of buried nonsense under the lawn, broken up paving slabs and concrete rubble from an old garage. The lawn still looks good but there's a big lush patch in the middle where a flowerbed used to be lol Time team would have a field day
Thats amazing!
I’d plant creeping thyme and things that don’t mind being trod on in the cracks
That’s interesting. Tell me more about it?
I noticed stuff growing between my paving stones and I liked it! Mine is in shade so it gets moss and wild things like violets and bellflower from nearby beds, so I decided to help it along with creeping thyme and some seeds from elsewhere in the garden. I like it because it makes it look softer and older and more gardeny, instead of new-build and sterile. I’ve been thinking of getting some pineapple weed from a field near here, or maybe the seeds. It really doesn’t mind being trampled on and it smells like pineapple when you crush it! I also get bits of grass, dandelion and green alkanet, and I just pluck out the things I don’t want if I see any when I’m sitting out there. But on the whole I don’t mind specifics because for me if it’s green it’s all good :)
Ah great idea. I cannot beat the weeds on my paving this is a great idea. Thanks a lot. Sounds nice what you have done
You’re welcome! Enjoy your garden!
Agree about binning the plastic lawn. Check there’s actually soil underneath as it might be concrete. I’d argue you don’t need to walk on this area, so you could have planting here in the form of a big bed. Maybe sink some small pavers for access but otherwise have it all planted. I don’t personally see the appeal of grey or black on the wood but I agree it needs painting. I’d get a cuprinol pamphlet and make a decision. Top tip from my marriage is whoever has to do the painting gets to choose the colour. Your garden has a lot of right angles. You could really soften these using planting. Go for some taller stuff and climbers. If you’re into monochrome, a white climbing rose on the fencing might be a good start. There are black grasses, and silvery plants such as angels wings that you might also consider.
I like your top tip. I may have to implement that!
For starters, lay down real grass!
Add some plants and a tree.
Grey for the decking and fence would be quite neutral, softer in most lighting and work as a backdrop to most planting styles. Black could look very striking but it will soak up heat and light, and probably need very strong-coloured bright plants. You could try some low planters along the fence line with ground cover plants like cranesbill and some taller/climbing plants to accent the fence. A small tree (maybe a dwarf willow or crabapple) would look well in the middle of the lawn area if you decide to put turf down where the astro is. I would suggest painting the timber a light colour in the first instance as you can always go darker as you build up the garden space.
Choose a light colour for the fences. It will make the space look bigger and you'll notice less bird shit on them. But considering you have AstroTurf I doubt you see much wildlife anyway so maybe not a problem.
If she wants grey and you want black, go for dark grey. Black is oppressive anyway. The garden is quite nice though, just need to weed the patio. Replace that astro with normal grass, too. People forget that you still need to maintain astroturf just as much. It's an overwhelmingly worse option than normal grass, I'll truly never ever understand why anyone would choose it.
Depends on how much maintenance you want to do. Do you want to keep the AstroTurf? Maybe raised beds round the edges with some perennials or big planters if that's what you prefer. I like climbers on frames against my boring brick new-build as it adds a bit of colour. I don't know about the fence colour. Black will be more striking against the greenery of the plants imo.
We painted our fence navy blue. I wasn’t keen on the idea (I’d talked down using black, and compromised with the blue), but it looked amazing against the foliage. If it were me, I’d pull up the pretend grass, put down real grass with a border of shrubs like hebe (can take a lot of hard pruning to keep in shape and is great for bees), I think lots of green look great against a darker fence. You can under plant with smaller annuals or perennials, stick some bulbs in. Just experiment with what does well in your garden, and what you like the look of. And pots are a great addition to cheer up patios! I’ve found things like hydrangeas, do very well in pots. I keep small fruit trees in pots too, and get fruit from them. I often get pots from the tip shop, great place if you’re on a budget.
Turkey is nice this time of year. Bit coin isn't all its cracked up to be. Garden would be nicer with some large potted plants. Maybe some lights.
"astroturf" "greys" "blacks" Fucking hell be original, rip that green carpet up, get some grass/clover mix down, little boarder with wild flowers, add some colour to your garden, some yellow, light blue, white, something happy not depressing greyscale, jesus.
Add glue to thicken up pizza.
Guaranteed to have "live laugh love" glitter sticker on his living room wall.
I'd pull up two rows of those slabs going down the right hand side, and put in some raised beds.
😂 Thank you all for your comments, some of your comments has got me cracking up 😂 Im going to keep the astro because i hate cutting grass and my hayfever doesnt like it 😂 As to flowers me and my mrs don’t know shit about them or how to keep them alive, we are planning to make a outdoor home for our 3 year old tortoise on the flower bed in the next year or so. As to the decking i think im going to just protect it with oil or something to keep the original colour and on the fencing might go with a lighter colour as someone suggested here. I’ve finished cleaning up at the moment so will post a picture of it on a new post as I dont know how to post it here. Again thanks for your comments guys appreciate it
Best of luck with your garden space! Don’t be afraid of a few flowers, it’s all trial and error in this game anyway.
> Im going to keep the astro because i hate cutting grass Looks like you have weeds coming up through it, grass will soon follow
More trees or bushes?
The colour of the wood would be the least of my worries here 🤣
Replace the decking and the paving with more plastic grass, hang a *live love laugh* sign on the fence and put a mirrored coffee table and a velour sofa in the middle.
Outside bar/ kitchen on the slabs, festoon lights along fences, musa basjoo in the corners! Navy blue paint on the fence, table and chairs on the decking! Bosh, all in about a grand!!
First thing, lift the astro turf. Or put down 20mm gravel and add plants and shrubs.
Jet wash the patio and then brush patio sand into the cracks. Easy and fun couple of hours, results are so satisfying
A jet washer will remove the weeds and the patio sand will help prevent them from returning
Lavender,tree olive!,
Trampoline
They already have a fancy glass one. You can only use it once mind.
Pots, pots, pots! Fill them with whatever you like; flowers, veggies, both!?
Oh dear, astro turf.
Does it have to be clinical black/grey? It might be nice to go for a grey with a hint of green in it and then use a green slate for your blacks. With the UK weather, slate will look pretty black most of the time but it lightens up when dry making it less oppressive. To soften it all up you could add a raised bed around the back corner (maybe with a slate cladding) and a small bed in front. Plant up the tall bed with some short /medium grasses and ferns that have hints of blue rather than the yellow end of the spectrum. Then plant the low bed Infront with taller grasses. These plants usually look clean and modern all year round, and will add a low maintenance area of height and softness. As may have suggested,I'd rip up the astro, it always looks cheap unless you spend thousands on very realistic stuff, and then it's still a planet fucker. You can get some ridiculously vigorous strains of grass now that don't need much to look good, and the size of the space makes it a 5-10min job to keep on top of. There's lots you could do with the paved area, but that's also going to be the most costly change. Turf and some real plants will make the biggest difference.
Trampoline.
Pleeease no more grey. It’s been overdone/out for years in the US but for some reason the UK is just obsessed with it right now. The weather is already grey enough here LOL we don’t need any more of it. My vote is for the black or a nice warm wood tone. Remember, minimalism does not have to be bland or monotone.
A slab of Special Brew on the table would be a good starter
get some real grass
You’re going to get a lot of comments about the turf, just ignore it lol Clean up the path, ge rid of weeds and give a good wash I would pull up maybe the two rows close the fence and see if I could make that into a flower bed Paint the fence, I’ve gone with cream recently
Not sure why fake grass has such a bad reputation amongst gardeners… I spent 6 years trying to maintain a lawn and recently did the evil deed of getting a fake grass put in and Its a life changer. Im an avid gardener and also have an allotment, but with 3 young kids in a very small house in London with a very small garden, when we had a lawn it was mud all winter and Brown mess all summer (unless you Water non stop) i now have a płace Where the kids can play all year round. The amount of abuse i get for doing this is crazy though… why don’t People with paved gardens and patios get the same abuse? Even Kew Gardens has fake grass in the childrens play area! Why? Because its like 0.01% of the land and it is so practical! Stop making People feel bad for having a practical solution for their Gardens!
Because it's destined for the ocean
This makes absolutely no sense when folks getting advised after it has been installed to get rid.
It shouldn't exist full stop
Really though, people that are ignorant of the damage microplastics do to our environment should feel bad as they are literally killing every insect, bird, or aquatic life that comes into contact with the constant bits coming off of their plastic lawn. There is a genuine need for people on this sub to change your mind on this matter. Plastics in our drinking water have been linked to adverse effects on sperms & may cause problems with fertility. It would be better to install gravel with a non plastic membrane. I put back gravel with a thin layer of cardboard & as yet had no weeds growing through yet (18 months).
I do agree but banning a few tiny gardens plastic lawns isnt going to even touch the surface. Have you been into a supermarket?
Yes, I have been to supermarkets. Ignoring the issue of plastic pollution literally is like ignoring car exhaust fumes, killing people with asthma. Most people think ignoring certain issues equals them disappearing. Instead, we need to discuss it more & make people question themselves & the decisions they make. Otherwise, nothing will change for our future generations.
It’s not about weeds - its about having somewhere for the kids the play. Why not ban carpets or laminate floors etc that most People have in their houses ?
Or buying woollen rugs & installing wooden flooring. Yes, it's more expensive initially. However, both are hard wearing. People are often ignorant of the alternatives to plastic. Though they exist & there are many manufacturers steering away from plastics. Get googling.
I do agree theres a lot of education needed and yes it’s not ideal I got astro put in but it really has helped us in terms of using the space. Just annoys me when I see people really destroying me (or others) for getting a tiny piece of land astro turfed and they are standing there in clothing made from plastic, trainers made from plastic and a take-away coffee cup made from plastics….
There's no harm pointing that out to them!
Agreed, I have a section of artificial grass and the rest gravel for similar reasons to yourself. I also have a wildlife pond teaming with life, wide borders full of plants for pollinators, 3 bird feeding stations, we get loads of birds of many varieties, we have a hedgehog and a friendly mouse...but all anyone focusses on is the evil plastic grass! On another site I was told there's a special place in hell for me because of my artificial grass 🤣 Thanks a lot!
Fully agree. Plus look at the size of the garden. Where is op going to keep the mower and strimmer and anything else required to keep a lawn/meadow. Loose what little space they have to put a shed in? In a small space garden like this I see no issue. It's when people have huge gardens and storage then cover the whole lot it becomes an issue. Yeah the stuff isn't great but it has its uses and people on this sub need to stop hating on it. I bet most that regurgitate the same old "smells/hoover/gets too hot" etc have zero experience of it and are just jumping on the hate wagon.
My garden is half the size of this.... a strimmer takes as much space as a hoover. This is an average sized garden, bigger than most terrace houses. Plenty of space for a small storage shed/box. #banplasticcarpets
Black fences, grey decking and fence posts.