Hi there, what are the dimensions, and please can you post a picture looking back at the house and showing the relative positions of the 2 outdoor seating areas that you have. Is there anything that you want to include? Eg veggies? Do you have a dog? What are the large hedge plants you have already? How much time do you have /money do you want to spend? And what sort of climate, what directions do the fenced side face? cheers

Thank you so much, you’ve been really helpful sarah_eddy6

JE C - my backyard is 16m wide and from end of deck to back fence is 18m.

The side fence that the lemon tree is on - I need to cover about 23m to block out the next door neighbours roof line.

The deck area is where our wood fire oven and kitchen is so that is or main seating area. The pergola you see is something I picked up along the way and don’t necessarily care to keep it where it currently is.

I have two dogs and one two year old son. I’d actually love to move the dogs kennels to the blind side of the deck so they are out of view and subsequently free up the corner they are in, but I don’t want to shut them out either.

The large trees you see on the side are ficus hillii I bought them at about two years old, they were as tall as the fence line when planted and have grown really well since.

Id like to keep things classic and mostly traditional I guess but am open to suggestions. I just want to create a pleasant yard to look at and be in.

Budget, is $1000 or less reasonable?

I’d prefer to plant without having to construct raised or sunken garden beds.

We are currently at the tail end of a renovation (of course) and have gone for a contemporary hamptons style.

I live in Melbourne, Australia.

Hi as someone who does this for a living. Your site has great assets and you would need to take stock of your objectives. If you just want a few plants to dig in then head off to your nursery and get some ideas and for a $1000 that's where your at.

But if you think more holistically, your renovation has cost you and the need to complete the project with a garden to enhance the value should be considered.

Depending on who your consultant is and how much input you want could vary the result considerably. Unfortunately if you pay peanuts.... etc. If I would be bold enough to suggest :-

Pay for a consult by one or two Landscape consultants so you get a taste for what s out there. Think carefully and write a list of things you like/want and prioritise them, cause design in action requires compromise somewhere.

You can always contact me: I do go to Melbourne from time to time for customers but we mostly work from Manly in Sydney. However Melbourne is full of great people working hard.

Thank you - that’s exactly what I was scared someone would say because I know it to be only too true.

Hi Heartlyhome! To get started with, check out some of our articles for ideas and inspiration:
How can I turn my backyard into something special?
How can I create a resort-style backyard at home?
Create your own vegetable garden

Hope this helps!

Hi there,

You’re right - great grass! Have you considered adding a feature to your fence? A lot of our customers love using artificial green wall panels to spruce up their backyards. Check out some examples on our profile!

Good luck,

Richard

I was thinking of painting the fences a dark colour and contrasting with green trees along fence line.

Monument colour by dulux & colorbond. Its my goto colour for the fence.

I was set on monument for back fences and was also considering the same colour for my front fence, thought it might look nice contrasted against greenery, the earthy grey house render (dune) and slate grey roof.

Dark front fences are contemporary but I expect that this will not endure over time. So be careful with that.

And this is my fear

Can you post a sketch? I'm scrolling back and forth trying to visualise it all and understand dimensions and orientation and usage.

If the fence colour suits the house and creates a good background for the plants I wouldn't worry about whether it will date. The same concern could apply to the house, but if it all comes together in a way that is classically timeless rather than overly trendy and you're happy with it, then it's working. Alternatively formal or informal hedging can obscure the fence and avoid the question of what colour the fence should be.

I agree that with a toddler and dogs you want to keep as much of that lawn as you can. Work out how much garden bed is needed around the edge so that you are not constantly pruning the plants back to fit, but so it still leaves as much lawn as you want. What's missing in my view is edging, most garden styles look better with edging between the plants and the grass.

Another thing that gives gardens a more finished look is underplanting. Research plants to ensure you don't plant anything that is toxic or allergenic. Remember humans and dogs can differ in that regard.

Start an Ideabook for your garden. If you have images of what you are trying to achieve, and you can share that with us, you can make progress with specific how to's and choosing specific plants.