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What was/is your most pressing design problem during your build?


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I did have my garden designed, for a big birthday present, about thirty years ago. It was the best present I have ever had. The designer walked the garden with me and asked about the things I like etc. I told him a love trees. We have a large garden and he filled it with trees. The shrubberies were all measured and planted so that the large ones were at the back and they tapered to the ends. Roses over the door and climbers over the garage. The biggest reason I love it is because it stopped all arguments about what went where. Chris hates anything that spreads or climbs or really anything that grows! It is a constant battle to wrestle the mower, the slasher, the weed killer from him. He has managed to "prune" to within an inch of its life a magnificent spreading (!) tree that was supposed to shade out grass and weeds from beneath it in the front garden. He insisted he had to mow underneath it!

 

I have asked for a garden design for another significant birthday present this year. Not so many trees this time due to all the leaves. A bit of a Japanese theme perhaps?

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On 05/12/2020 at 12:33, joe90 said:

Sorry a bit late to this thread, I don’t rate architects much (sorry) and I designed our house myself, and don’t think I need an ID either, ours is “cottage” and magnolia all over till we live in it for a while, I also think colours should come from furniture, curtains etc. We know what we like so why do we need someone to tell us this?. 

 

If you know exactly what you like and can put it all together then I'd agree that you absolutely don't need an interior designer!

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On 06/12/2020 at 06:59, patp said:

I did have my garden designed, for a big birthday present, about thirty years ago. It was the best present I have ever had. The designer walked the garden with me and asked about the things I like etc. I told him a love trees. We have a large garden and he filled it with trees. The shrubberies were all measured and planted so that the large ones were at the back and they tapered to the ends. Roses over the door and climbers over the garage. The biggest reason I love it is because it stopped all arguments about what went where. Chris hates anything that spreads or climbs or really anything that grows! It is a constant battle to wrestle the mower, the slasher, the weed killer from him. He has managed to "prune" to within an inch of its life a magnificent spreading (!) tree that was supposed to shade out grass and weeds from beneath it in the front garden. He insisted he had to mow underneath it!

 

I have asked for a garden design for another significant birthday present this year. Not so many trees this time due to all the leaves. A bit of a Japanese theme perhaps?

 

This is an amazing idea for a gift! Sound like you have an incredibly beautiful garden!

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On 09/12/2020 at 20:29, H Kaur said:

 

This is an amazing idea for a gift! Sound like you have an incredibly beautiful garden!

 

Well, it should be beautiful and to some extent it is BUT it is large and filling it with all the plants bought from a garden centre just proved too expensive. It ground to a halt once we had put in huge borders in the front and down one side. We did put the trees in first but found that they cast too much shade and shed too many leaves so we took some down. Had we known more about gardening we may have been able to get cuttings more cheaply from other sources such as on line nurseries. 

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1 hour ago, patp said:

 

Well, it should be beautiful and to some extent it is BUT it is large and filling it with all the plants bought from a garden centre just proved too expensive. It ground to a halt once we had put in huge borders in the front and down one side. We did put the trees in first but found that they cast too much shade and shed too many leaves so we took some down. Had we known more about gardening we may have been able to get cuttings more cheaply from other sources such as on line nurseries. 

If you go on gardening forums or ask local allotment holders or gardening clubs, you could be given a lot.

 

Certainy happens on the BC Gardeners World forum I am on.

 

Or offer a barter.

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23 hours ago, Ferdinand said:

If you go on gardening forums or ask local allotment holders or gardening clubs, you could be given a lot.


I am banking on it!, join a local gardening club, offer a clean slate “ what could i grow here” and appear broke ?‍♂️.

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2 hours ago, patp said:

 

Well, it should be beautiful and to some extent it is BUT it is large and filling it with all the plants bought from a garden centre just proved too expensive. It ground to a halt once we had put in huge borders in the front and down one side. We did put the trees in first but found that they cast too much shade and shed too many leaves so we took some down. Had we known more about gardening we may have been able to get cuttings more cheaply from other sources such as on line nurseries. 


I sympathise. Whenever I watch a gardening programmes I just see thousands of ££££ tossed around the place as though it’s nothing and then no comeback to see how things went.

 

44 minutes ago, Ferdinand said:

If you go on gardening forums or ask local allotment holders or gardening clubs, you could be given a lot.

 

Certainy happens on the BC Gardeners World forum I am on.

 

Or offer a barter.

Oh do (expletive deleted) off with your *being sociable* to other people.

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2 minutes ago, Ferdinand said:

Has anyone put a number on this?

 

I would punt at £40-50 per sqm for a relatively normal garden on a normal sized plot, as the amount needed in the budget, perhaps excluding boundary treatment.

And the rest. 

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4 minutes ago, daiking said:


I sympathise. Whenever I watch a gardening programmes I just see thousands of ££££ tossed around the place as though it’s nothing and then no comeback to see how things went.

 

Oh do (expletive deleted) off with your *being sociable* to other people.

 

??

 

Recommend Scottish Garden programmes.

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1 hour ago, Ferdinand said:

 

I was thinking some grass, some plants shrubs trees, maybe soil, raised beds, compost, maybe pergola shed, some tools ... and the rest.

 

F

It’s mostly grass currently (apart from the grass seeds that have drowned ?), I am looking at fast growing stuff so I can enjoy it in MY lifetime! And stuff that likes clay and damp ?. I am making raised beds from my scaffold planks for veg behind the garage where there is no top soil and only clay.

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3 hours ago, Onoff said:

 

The BBC will be along shortly with specially selected contributors to balance things up.

I’m sure all those other-privileged contributors will be able to nail exactly what the problem is. (Hint: it’s not race)

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I think getting sign off from my other half was the hardest part, not that this was particularly difficult, it’s just things like choosing radiators in advance so that pipes can be first fixed accurately, prior to insulation, flooring etc..

likewise radiators then require noggins/dwangs for decent timber fixings so affects finishing walls...

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