What would you have in your dream garden?

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Having moved into our new house, our next job is to tackle the garden. We are lucky to have about half an acre. It is completely unlandscaped at the moment.

Before we actually get any work done, we are just wondering - what would you put in your 'ideal' garden'? E.g. children's play area / boulders / lawn, etc. (By the way, we have young children and no pets.)

Any ideas appreciated!
 
Plenty of trees and shrubs - native species only (much more wildlife friendly)

Design the trees and shrubs to provide some shelter form prevailing winds (if site is exposed.

Splash out on a few large trees if u can...
 
Half an acre gives you tonnes of options. I'd keep as much as lawn as you can, makes the most of the space.

A children's play area is a nice idea, just install nothing too permanent or that can't be easily changed.

My dream garden's make-up would be completely up to my dream gardener - Scarlett Johannson :)
 
A ride on mower,Ive been there,done that,definitly get a ride on mower.
Also we had a mini orchard; apple ,plum etc trees,they were all in a large circle and the kids loved it.
also with that amount of space, a covered area for bar-b-qs ( we should be so lucky to be able to eat outdoors)..
A vegatable area for the kids to grow their own,they really love seeing what they planted grow & you have the benifit of free veg.
we also planted hardy plants,like pampas grass and the kids love to run around and play hide and seek through it.
Also an area around the house or near it for the kids to cycle or use their rollerblades,as Ive found the country roads to be way too dangerous for walking/cycling etc.that way the kids can stay within your eye sight and still have use their toys.
I would keep an area available for partys /communions etc where you could have maybe a paved area with tables and chairs and outdoor heaters.
Dont forget to get some lighting .
Enjoy it..
 
I agree with all the above. We have half an acre of fairly open space and when we bought it was fairly mature. Older, big trees round the boundry, some fruit trees and bushes and a huge expanse of grass. The only fairly major thing we did was open up one side as it was previously like a secret garden and we really wanted to see it from the house.

We put in a childrens swing/slide/climbing frame in wood so it ages well. Place this where you can easily see it from where ever you'll be most in the house.
A vegetable patch is in progress
Mr Bubbly has earmarked a space for a pond (our children are over 10 so we feel safe doing this)
If you like BBQ, I'd suggest turning a corner over to something fairly permanent, but avoid overhanging trees. I'd love a brick or stone one with a sort of bar or table round it and plenty of shelves.
A nice garden set, swing set, table etc.
A shed for storing it all in!
Definatly a ride on mower, we did one summer without...never again!
 
Don't forget to include some scented plants near the seating area - like lavendar and some varieties of roses.
 
I saw a lovely garden where all manner of herbs were planted on a raised semi-rockery area quite close to the kitchen. Thought it was a great idea.

I would definitely have a vegetable patch, but make sure its in a bright sunny part of the garden that wont get left in the shade when your trees mature. You could also consider a greenhouse.

Of all the trees in my garden, I think the copper beech and acer provide a lovely contrast in colour to the greenery. I also have some lovely tall australian grasses.

I would be careful about planting scented flowers close to the seating area as I dread wasps and wouldn't want them buzzing around me when i'm trying to relax/eat.
 
That hydraulic garden room that Diarmuid Gavan designed a few years ago on his BBC programme. Or perhaps the moveable one on railway tracks
 
An outdoor eating/entertainment area with barbeque, close enough to the kitchen door to be easily accessible. With raised bedding all around with lavender hedge and planting of aromatic herbs and plants ( especially those that will ward away cats/insects).

As little lawn as I could get away with ( don't want to spend the sunny days mowing it).

An orchard with plenty of good fruiting trees and shrubs. Put a bit of effort into the right ones because there are some fantastic varieties of fruiting plants that are overlooked in recent years. Don't go for the generic apple tree from the bog-standard garden centre. Try seed-savers for unusual varieties.

I like the idea of different 'rooms' in the garden, so I think I'd plan ahead so that in years to come walking around the garden would be it's own discovery. That means either planting hedges or having parts sectioned off by walls ( ideally having part a walled garden would be fantastic if money were no object) or fences etc.

Obviously one area would also have to be set aside for a veg/herb garden with raised beds and a green house.

A water feature would be nice- so much nicer if there is a natural spring/stream or pond to make the most of.

And an outdoor office/shed/pavillion would be lovely. Now if I could get Diarmuid Gavin to design it all, that'd be heaven.:)
 
Vanilla said:
An orchard with plenty of good fruiting trees and shrubs. Put a bit of effort into the right ones because there are some fantastic varieties of fruiting plants that are overlooked in recent years. Don't go for the generic apple tree from the bog-standard garden centre. Try seed-savers for unusual varieties.
Click to expand...

Great idea Vanilla. Check out for some native orchard plants. An orchard with for example apples, pears and cherries would look great, be relatively low maintenance and provide natural habitat. You would be planting a resource which would outlive you and your descendants, and would be a great gift to future generations.
 
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