Wanted: Fairytale garden!!

[221b]

Hello all

I'd really like to create a special magical retreat in my garden. Lots of secluded and secret bits with moving water and ponds and a mix of shady and sunny bits and so on.

Problem is, I'm not really sure where to start!

Lots of the gardening books out there seem to be a little pedestrian for my liking; I'm looking for somethig a bit more magical and inspirational. A bit fantasy-like I suppose you might say...

Though not with wizards or unicorns or anything naff like that.

Is there a garden designer that you know of who works this way who may have written a book or do you already know of a relevant starting point for some guidance - website perhaps?

I positively don't want lots of bloomin decking and concrete!

Any suggestions/pointers most gratefully received...

Thanks!

221b

[Hawkwalk]

How big is your garden? this will make a huge difference to the best type of planting to create the look you are after.

I find it useful to visit some gardens open to the public to get ideas. For your idea it would be good to visit woodland gardens and get an idea of the types of plantings they use.
Spring time would be best so that you can see it all coming to life.

It is always better to see things in real life rather than in a book to inspire you.

Alternatively you good log on the Hampton Court website where you can look at all the gardens displayed this year for more ideas.

[221b]

Thank you Hawkwalk

My front garden is probably about 60-80 foot long - I'm a bit cr*p at estimating that sort of thing. And not very wide - about 15-20 feet wide.

I really want to get a way from the long obvious strip sort of thing.

I've had a look at Chelsea's site already and seen a couple of gardens - (Freya Lawson's Cobweb garden for instance), but I'm not quite sure how to get started - that's the problem. I'm not enough of a plantwoman to know what to put where, how to plan it etc...

Thanks for the initial response though! Most welcome...

221b

[221b]

Thank you Hawkwalk

My front garden is probably about 60-80 foot long - I'm a bit cr*p at estimating that sort of thing. And not very wide - about 15-20 feet wide.

I really want to get a way from the long obvious strip sort of thing.

I've been to Vita Sackville-West's garden at Sissinghurst, (round the corner - lucky me!) and also had a look at Chelsea's site already and seen a couple of gardens - (Freya Lawson's Cobweb garden for instance), but I'm not quite sure how to get STARTED - that's the problem! I'm not enough of a plantswoman to know what to put where, how to plan it etc...

Thanks for the initial response though! Most welcome...

221b

[Hawkwalk]

That quite a long garden you have got.

Best place to start is on paper. Draw some ideas that you like, basic shapes, layout, things you like. You could also try creating a mood board - cut out lots of pictures you like from various gardening magazines and stick them all on a board to give you a theme or a colour scheme.

Then think about the types of plants you like and would want to look at. There are not too many rules in gardening, that is the best thing about it. You can then check in a good gardening book to see if they like sun or shade and heigh and growth rates and then start to build a plan.

If you can afford to then get a garden designer to help out but they don't come cheap.

Main thing is just enjoy doing it!!!

[221b]

Thanks Hawkwalk,

I shall aim to get bold enough to start sketching. Biggest thing is, I'm worried about getting it wrong and making an expensive mistake.

I know what I like when I see it, but not sure how to transfer that to my space.

Maybe the initial sketch might help...

Thanks again...

221b

[Thunderbird+]

Hi there,
I think it's a great idea to have a theme running through a garden!, to give you a peacefull and tranquil to relax and unwind.
My advice would be to, firstly concentrate on a focal point, remembering the four elements, Earth, wind, fire and water, the last one, you may wish to introduce a water feature, water trickleling over stone can be very effective.
Think carefully where you place your focal point, it may take several moves before your happy with it and once you've made your final choice, I think everything will fall into place as it gradually evolves. Seating may be something you want to think about too ie will you want to catch the moring sun or afternoon sun.
Read up on mythology, be it Celtic, Norse, roman, Eastern, North/south American etc, and go with one that appeals to you most strongly, Japanese gardens are very popular and reasonably easy to maintain, I find bamboo wind chimes very evocative and more gentle than some of the metal ones. Archways or pergolas also add interest and can devide the garden into little hidden, secret compartment that invite folks to explore. Scented flowers or foliage will also add charm and characture, theres nothing like the scent of lavender as you brush past it. Good Luck Tbird+

[Clanad]

Along with Hawkwalk and the venerable T-Bird, I'd like to suggest a relatively new but really striking way to add the water portion... Usually, one adds a pond of various size, with a pump, of course. A bit more adventurous is to add a small stream, where the pump returns the water to a beginning source and it's allowed to run back to the pond. The new feature, which I've installed, is for the water to disappear at the end of the stream. To do this, one buries the receptacle for the end of the stream (replacing the pond) about 3 feet in the ground. It's covered with a screen supplied by the manufaturer then largish rocks followed by succeeding layers of smaller rocks, ending with what we call pea gravel (about 1/2 inch in diameter. The end of the stream flows into the top of this layer and disappears! It, of course is returned via simple undersurface black hose to the beginning. The whole stream is lined with various plants but majoring in various ferns, which lend the magical feature you want. Not as difficult as I've explained... like this: http://www.aquasuperstore.com/detail.aspx?ID=3 642
Best of luck!