When we bought our home we knew it was in need of a complete renovation — the place hadn’t been decorated since the late 1970’s and it had been lying empty for quite a while before we bought it.
With limited budgets we knew it wasn’t going to be possible to do everything in one go so we naturally prioritised the interior and left the garden for much later. What we hadn’t realised though was that our builders would trash the garden and turn it into a wasteland. So when it came to renovating the garden, we really had to start from scratch as it was just a mound of dirt and rocks with a few trees dotted around, as you can see from the before pic below.
Planning the layout of the garden
We started off by planning the layout of the garden. We wanted to create zones for different uses like planting, eating and relaxing while still having a reasonably large patch of grass. We also didn’t want anything that was too high maintenance. So we decided to go for a square lawn in the centre and create the zones around the grass.
We had some raised plant beds built around the edges — raised beds are easier on your back for gardening and they also give a more defined look to an outdoor space. Next we dug out the eating space so we had a sunken dining area. This helped create a clear dining zone but also, having different levels within a not-very-big outdoor space adds visual interest.
Designing the aesthetic look of the garden
Aside from the layout, we knew we wanted the garden to be a seamless extension of the indoor space so we stuck to our interior decorating style for the garden too. If you’re a regular reader you’ll know my style leans modern, Scandi-minimal so thats the kind of look I was going for outdoors too. Also, when the sliding patio doors are open, we wanted the kitchen and garden to feel like one room which it does now.
To achieve the modern look, we went for a concrete patio which also adds contrast against the warmth of the wooden kitchen floors. I also didn’t want an overly colourful garden so we opted for lots of greenery with a few flowering plants that add a pop of colour when in bloom. We inherited a couple of magnolia tress which we of course kept and when they’re in bloom, the one that flowers in pale pink adds a lovely pastel hue to the garden.
For the rest of the decor I stuck to black, white and grey to help it blend in with the landscape. I’ve added a few wooden accents too for warmth. The concrete patio continues to the sunken dining area where I have a wooden dining table and wooden bench. This area though needs cosying up — once I have more budget that’s the next thing I’ll be doing.
I’ve kept the patio simply decorated with a couple of chairs, a table and some large potted plants. As the patio is right outside my kitchen, I didn’t want to clutter it up with too much going on and it also serves as the walkway to the dining area so it needed to have some empty space.
Maintaining the garden
When it comes to maintenance, we really don’t have to do too much, despite what people told us about having real grass and having so many plant beds. For the plants, we opted for mostly low maintenance plants and while they still need some looking after, this feels like a fun hobby rather than a chore.
Plants aside, every two months or so we mow the lawn and use a weed eater (also called a strimmer) to trim the edges where the grass meets the concrete and plant beds to keep it looking neat. We have a leaf blower to help gather the leaves every autumn and we jet wash the concrete and walls of the flower beds every couple of years and that’s pretty much it.
The garden was a big project that we had to complete on a not-so-big budget. While it doesn’t have everything that I would have wanted — like a cosy outdoor furniture set and an outdoor kitchen — it still feels comfortable, very useable and easy to look after. The patio area has become my favourite place to have my morning coffee in the warmer months and we’ve hosted many al fresco dinners in the dining area that have lasted long into the night.
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