Row of Leylandii replaced with fence
We were required by Building Control to remove a row of leylandii 'trees' due to future potential root damage. As this is technically our front garden then without planning permission we could only put up a fence max 1m, so once that was all granted we proceeded.
I must admit the Greta Thunburg in me didn't like removing trees, but it had to be done.
Before:
* We also had two much larger conifers removed as you can see the damage they had already caused to the driveway, hence the logs. This left the row of laylandii half dead and looking awful.
During the leylandii removal:
Trees all removed leaving us feeling VERY naked and open:
Fence all up after a couple of days:
(The two smaller orange fence panels at the end are to be replaced as these are only temporary as one of the panels got accidently damaged in transit)
Next step (probably not before Christmas, although we do have to WFH from Monday so I will get time lol) is to get that earth removed from the old raised bed and fill it with some road planings or Type 1 MOT aggregate to temporary extend the drive to the fence.
Also: I'll make some raised planters to cover the concrete base-boards (and use dirt that's there) and put a little decking walkway around the side entrance (where the orange fence square-off is)
It's all a bit 'stark' as it's only 1 day old, but I'll stain the fence around the spring time, and once we get the planters made then a few nice tall bamboo and some grasses will soften it up nicely.
Comments (7)
Tim Summers
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoRelated Discussions
Ideas for a tiny garden
Comments (52)Personally I think the grass, yellow bricks and the fence are a bit too uninspiring. How about trying to break it up a bit - thin beds with climbers against fence and extra beds / pots / paths to add different levels. Think of cakes on a cake stand, the more levels, the better it looks. Red cedar slatted fence to replace the existing, trailing plants over the walls. Talk to a good gardener to talk about the right plants for their position and also consider doing a watering system to make it super low maintenance (they don't cost the earth). Good luck with it - post some photos of the project!...See MoreGARDEN
Comments (9)The problem is not that my neighbours are overwatering their plants its to do with either the fish pond they have in their garden right next to my fence is either leaking badly or being drained into our garden every few weeks . I have been trying to start landscaping my back for over a year now but because of the leak/draining my garden has been turned into a mud pit making it not only impossible to walk on but the landscaping of it impossible. For over a year now I have been trying to sort the garden out and had purchased most of the materials to carry this out. As my initial idea was to have a paved walkway surrounding a small lawn area so my grandkids could not only play on the grass but could also ride their bikes etc around the outskirts of the grassed area also, I had not got any further with ideas for the very back part of my garden but least grandkids could play outside in the garden in the interim. However to date I haven't been able to do anything at all plus now it looks like I am going to have to sort out some kind of a raised drain away area to stop the leak once and for all which annoys me as it is not only extra time and money but I shouldn't have to carry out. I would appreciate any ideas or suggestions any one has that would stop the water destroying my garden other than my drain away raised bed area idea as unless I stop the leak or water in my garden I cant lay the slabs, grass or any plants in it. With regard your question asking if my garden is sloped it used to be but I got it flattened so its pretty flat now but does have a slight slope on the left hand side running up towards the very back of my garden....See MoreGroundworks dilemma!
Comments (10)A few options and this is just based on assumptions as you don't state your neighbours thoughts on having the entire fence replaced. Option 1: most expensive but better end result! replace the Entire fence. Sounds like a major job , it is but so would putting in new panels between the existing concrete posts like above poster suggested. I disagree and in my professional opinion it would be a botch job as so often the existing posts will have moved with ground subsiding, therefore making it a pig of a job to fit panels properly with the panels either not fitting at all or floating about with too big a distance between the posts, plus it would never look half as good as a new fence! So I reiterate, tear the whole thing out and start again. You can put in timber sleepers at 100mm thick and 200mm high as the new gravel boards. Paint the sides facing the retained soil with bitumen paint or cover with visqueen vinyl to prolong the life of the timber for another 30 years on top of the already 15 year warranty. The sleepers to be positioned between posts, posts having a standard 6ft gap and then if you're using boards instead of panels you can stagger them post to post. I imagine you're going with horizontal because you have a narrow long garden? Option 2 second cheapest option. You leave the concrete posts in but cut out the concrete gravel boards and install a narrow raised Bed along the line of the new fence you are going to be erecting in front of the ugly concrete posts! About a 300mm(1ft) gap between new fence and inside of sleepers used to make the raised Bed. The raised Bed performs 3 functions: soil retention and the obvious: a charming little border to plant in and 3: hides the bottom of the Old fence concrete with top soil and soil conditioner which you will be filling the raised Bed with. One issue you could run into with this option is the concrete surrounding the concrete posts. But any savvy fencing contractor will be able to provide you with the correct fencing solutions for post positioning when it comes to winging it! Option 3: cheapest option material wise but not necessarily labour wise!??!! whitewash the concrete posts and concrete gravel boards, try your best at installing panels between existing concrete posts and install timber sleeper raised Bed to hide bottom of posts! You can visit my website www.michaellowegardening.co.uk for more helpful tips and advice. Best of luck!...See Morecreating a front entrance ‘gate’ as a main door??
Comments (9)You will be altering the appearance of the front elevation. Planners, and planning departments, have different interpretations of the rules. It would be prudent to procure some pictures of your proposed gates ,and discuss your ideas informally with the local area planner before incurring any expense. Say you want to tidy up the front ( bins etc ) and provide better security to the dwelling ( a planning consideration ) and sound them out. It should be ok but for a bit of time it saves the potential hassle if they have a local policy and you were to buy gates that were, for instance too high for their liking without planning permission. I have had 2 instances recently were locals have not liked someone's gates and have informed the planners who insisted on a planning application. Either way it should be ok eventually. Good luck....See More
Sonia
2 years agoLelandii are forest trees and should never have been planted in domestic gardens and all of them need chopping down, but I don’t have to tell you that! How about planting some dwarf trees? They grow to about 10ft high. You can get dwarf fruit trees such as apples, cherries or pears as well as ornamental ones. Buy carefully as some sellers don’t know the true height of trees they sell. For fruit trees Blackmoor grown good quality trees. Another group of trees that are a bit taller but not monsters are the Rowan tree and the Crabapple. Whatever you plant make sure it’s not too near a neighbours border or near any building or paths. Here’s some pics and wish you lots of luck.
Juliet Docherty