I’m at a total loss what to do with the back garden to make it more child friendly and easy to maintain and wonder if anyone had any ideas.

Aims; create access to the back gate behind the shed, create a path that allows us to walk to the house without looking naff, turf over existing veg bed area (already prepared for turfing) but create a raised bed for strawberries and peas.

The bamboo canes mark where wooden edging will go, for the lawn edges and raised bed. The rubber mats are temporary but may be long term laid on top of turf to create a partial walkway.

I’m mainly having problems trying to picture some kind of path that doesn’t look naff or leave awkward bits and shapes. Can anyone see a solution?

I’m not quite sure exactly what the problem is. Could you simply run the path in a straight line to the house? Then create a bed (or raised bed) instead of the strip of lawn alongside the paving? Maybe with a sturdy trellis for climbing plants.

For ‘easy to maintain’ I’d do away with the grass for starters

Path could be a gentle S shape rather than a straight line

Curvy path?

Exactly

Curvy paths – pah!

Think like the Romans and go dead straight – you’ll only end up cutting the corners of a curvy path and wrecking the plants/lawn. 😀

That’s an idea esme, i could do away with the raised bed at the back and have nice long stripes when i cut the grass.

Grass is low maintenance, i can’t be bothered with the expense and effort to change it. And it’s very kid friendly. I’m actually a pro landscape maintenance contractor and I’m ashamed to admit I’m clueless with my garden design, but from pulling strimmer and mower out of the van, doing the front and back grass and putting them away again takes 10-15 mins every 3 weeks.

The problem I have with grass is that my mower is electric and about half an hour before I’m about to use it, the heavens open. Wet grass & electrickery don’t mix

you’ll only end up cutting the corners of a curvy path and wrecking the plants/lawn.

^This

… if it’s going on strava

I went with the curvy path, very easy from 110mm blocks.

heres a pic
http://photos.google.com/search/_tra_/photo/AF1QipMTp1vAZ2ZlJzk-5belSUDa92pn2jD2_GfftFFF

What’s with the patio(ish) on the right? It looks like there are two different height bits.

Is that used for anything? Could you put the raised bed there and keep a bigger play lawn area for the kids?

I assume we are looking from the house and that the black path lines up with the house door.

Do you want separate areas for kids to run riot it and parent to sit quietly and drink?

Is the shed staying?

There are a lot of garden design web sites, I’d trawl them and get ideas and inspiration if I were you. There are so many different ways of doing things its worth doing the research.

Avoid decking like the plague.

Wet grass & electrickery don’t mix

Wet grass and mowing don’t mix anyway!

The raised bed gets in the way a bit but there are two straight paths, one from the back to half way and one from the house to half way. At the half way point they are joined.

Basically a straight paving slab path with a kink in it for interest.

The raised bed runs alongside the path from the house so nice an close to pick fruit and veg. Also you are more likely to look at / weed / water it if you walk past it all the time.

The raided bed also forms an edge to the lawn that stops balls being kicked across the patio bit if you are relaxing there. By being at the side and not the end it frees up more lawn space

Yes there are two patio areas, the one nearest the house was meant to be a greenhouse base that never happened so it’s just used for hard standing, tinkering space etc. It’s well supported, 2t whacked type 1 and big council slabs so I’m keen not to touch it!

Back door is in line with the cordyline, lower patio leads to side, car port and front garden. Not overly fussed about areas for adults as we just pull out chairs on the grass or patio banjos and sofa style. Shed is staying 🙂

It would be great without a raised bed, but next spring the boy will be 2 and it’s important to me that he gets his fingers covered in soil and sees how things grow. I know it might get mauled with balls but i can put up something to protect it.

Another thought was whether to curve the rubber matting path toward the patios, but there isn’t an obvious neat way to tie it in together.

I think it’s going to look a bit utilitarian whatever i do!

Muffin man, I mow wet grass almost every day, you just need the right tools!

WCA that’s funky! I like the greenhouse green roof and the potato detail in the raised bed!

Thanks!

Simple to do straight paths rather than curves.

Simple to mow rectangular lawn with lots of length for the kid to run up and down.

Visual / mental barrier to keep kid on lawn and off tinkering area when playing

As an ex garden designer…
Curved paths for their own sake are an abomination, up there with plant pots on top of inspection covers. If it’s going to curve, curve it around something.
Lawns up to fences or level changes mean more maintenance, use planting or paving as a buffer even if it’s a 100mm mowing strip.
Design usable space then look at what is left over. When designing a house you don’t start with the hallway, you start with the main rooms. So don’t start with the path! You’ve ultimately got a limited choice for any bit of your plan – planting, paving, grass or water.
I’d suggest picking up one of John brookes small garden books, it’s a decent approach and gives good results.

Wet grass & electrickery don’t mix

Unless you drive the mower into a pond or something it’s not exactly a problem.

create a path that allows us to walk to the house without looking naff,

Try a John Wayne walk for yourself and a bit of a Kate Moss style for your good lady.

The correct answer is pump track…

thepurist – Member
As an ex garden designer…

Lawns up to fences or level changes mean more maintenance, use planting or paving as a buffer even if it’s a 100mm mowing strip.
…So don’t start with the path!

A vertical lawn edge against paving, or a planted border requires far more maintenance than a level lawn up against a fence. The former requires vertical strimming or edge cutting, plus weeding and plant care, the latter requires one walking-pace pass with a strimmer, whole lawn above done in about 30 seconds. In my garden I’m not doing a large project, just looking for a way to get a path from the back gate to the house without it looking crap 🙂 I appreciate where you’re coming from, but it doesn’t apply here.

Big trampoline on the grass. Our two are on it all the time, probably the best £150 we spent. One does trampolining at a local leisure centre and the other dives at the Commonwealth Pool so that’s one of the reasons it gets a lot of use but kids that come round use it too. It’s a bit of an eyesore but it’s a great way for them to get exercise without leaving the garden.

i think WCA just about has it. id just chop the top end of the raised bed off and make it part of the continuous pathway so you just have an elbow in the path (WCA may have meant this also and its just hidden by the 3D raised bed).
EDIT: after reading it again im sure thats what he means actually, so basically, wot he said ^^^) 🙂
straight lines, longer lawn, whats not to like?

and whether you like it or not, the patio has to be an adult relaxio time 🙂 patio table and chairs, bbq etc.

sawted.

I’d get rid of the cordyline, no self respecting gardener should have one of those, do you also have Pampas in the front garden. Once it’s out the way build your raised bed along the fence, you can then use the fence to support your peas and it’ll give you more useful space in the bed for lettuces, radishes etc that are easy to grow and your son will enjoy eating. Path is so short just keep it straight.

Fire raised beds. A company called woodblocx makes a system that links together a bit like Lego. I used them, very easy to build, and can be any shape you want

I’d do what WCA suggested BUT keep the path straight.
Raised beds moved to the right as a visual/physical barrier.
Path then runs straight to back door.
Move washing line on to patio so nipper has nothing on lawn in his way.

Other option is raised beds against LH fence as suggested and open the rest out still with simple straight path.
KISS

Straight or elbow in the path. I put the kink in to add visual interest. Also makes the raised planter part of the garden rather than being stuck on the side. Also stops the kid riding full speed down the path and head butting the back door (personal experience at my Grandma’s house)

But I work in IT, not design so do what you think works.