Virtual Garden

[plocket]

I'm re-doing the drawing more to scale - 50m x 80m - this is difficult!!!!

[Sleepy]

plocket said:

I'm re-doing the drawing more to scale - 50m x 80m - this is difficult!!!!

100m x 80m

[plocket]

I can't keep changing it!!!!!!!



Right - this is the first plan. I've extended the patio to stretch across the front of the virtual house assuming there are patio doors opening onto it. If the writing is too small, the building in the bottom left corner is the Orangery leading into the Cactus House. Then there's a little chicken shed, then the barn for the goats, with the compost bins at the end - well we don't want to walk miles with all the straw and stuff which will need composting!!! I've put a board walk around the pond, with a gravel and bog garden. The formal area of small trees at the end of the garden is an orchard.

I hope all this meets with approval so far, but we need a lot more ideas for beds, boarders and other things for the garden. I've scattered a few trees in the garden just to make it look nice and hopefully get some ideas!!!

[plocket]

Ah! It's come out quite small!!! Each little square represents 1m square. And how much bigger should I make the biodome? And where is the stream going to go now the garden's that big?

[madonplants]

plocket said:

Ah! It's come out quite small!!! Each little square represents 1m square. And how much bigger should I make the biodome? And where is the stream going to go now the garden's that big?

Is the stream natural or is it a man made one with a sump? I suppose it being a completely walled garden it will be difficult for it to be a natural one. Have we decided what the pond is for? Wildlife or ornamental with Koi, Orfe or Goldfish maybe? I think trout was mentioned once, as well! I suppose we could have both. Main pond Koi, smaller one wildlife which the animals could drink out of as well. The koi pond would then need a BIG filter as well. Where will this be housed. Am I getting carried away, now?
Oh I forgot, if we have a stream, then there has to be a slope of some description, doesn't there? Which way should the slope go?

Keith

[4pygmies]

It's looking good - P, great work. If it's too much I'll be quite happy to not have goats but Mrs B and I MUST have chickens. If you tell us the predominant colour schemes, we'll pick some co ordinated rare breed beauties for you! You could even have ones which lay coloured eggs!

[plocket]

I'll leave you and Mrs B to choose which chooks we have 4P but I've "made" quite a big chicken house for them I like the idea of goats roaming about but as I don't know the first thing about them you'll need to know whether they need an enclosure - we don't want them eating all the clematis!!! ;D

It's going to have to be a man-made stream Madon and you can decide on the slope. Personally I'd prefer it to slope down from the left hand side/east side of the garden with all the equipment/machinery etc. being in a building near to the others we already have. As for the pond - I guess I'm going to have to put another natural pond in..... Can the pond stuff go under the board walk somewhere?

[alicat]

Keith they do look the same don't they? I prefer the beach effect of the first one though - more natural.


Plocket - Thats more or less how I was imagining it. I was going on the position of my house being at the bottom of your plan. ( as you have done) Now if you want the sun on the patio or part of the patio in the evening don't have north on the bottom left corner as the house will put the patio in shade in the evening. (thats what happens in my garden ) unless of course we have a second patio at the bottom by the orchard. ( which if my garden was big enough that's what I would.)

It's looking great by the way ;D

[plocket]

A patio at the end of the garden is a long way off Alicat - I was going to suggest that we have some sort of pergola over some of the patio to create shade during the day - where do you suggest north should be then? I've got to consider the mature trees shading the Biodome!!! And the orangry will want lots of sun too.... Oh this is getting so complicated.

Please someone tell me which way is going to be north!!!!!

[plocket]

Ok - how about south is to the left of the garden, and north is to the right. Then I can reduce the patio (well the house won't necessarily be the whole width of the garden so it can be on the right) and the orangery can be to the left of the patio - how would that work?

[alicat]

I've been trying to work that out, thats what took me so long to reply, that and my kids decided to bring a shouting match into the living room. Maybe north is best there? we could always have a seat further down to catch the eveing sun with our G&T's or glass of wine.

[plocket]

[alicat]

plocket said:

Ok - how about south is to the left of the garden, and north is to the right. Then I can reduce the patio (well the house won't necessarily be the whole width of the garden so it can be on the right) and the orangery can be to the left of the patio - how would that work?

OOP's sorry too slow again.

But then the orangery would be in the shade most of the day - wouldn't it.?

[plocket]

Ok I've done it as a clickable thumbnail so you can all see it better. North is to the right of the garden and south to the left so the evening sun shines down the garden and onto the patio. I've moved the orangery so that it too extends off the virtual house and the animal bits are tucked behind it.

How about I move the orchard to near the chooks and goats so they can roam amongst the trees? Would they get enough sun there? And wouldn't the biodome be better on the right of the garden now?

[alicat]

P - I must feed these kid's before they drive me mental. I have saved the plan to Favourites to have a look later. I like this it's good fun.

Catch you soon

take care all

ali. x

[plocket]

Have fun Alicat - see you later!!! ;D

[madonplants]

For someone with no experience of this, so go easy on me, but are the animals a bit close to the house? The Goods on The Good Life didn't did they? I am thinking about the rest. Also bog area close to house as well, don't think it would look quite right! Going to have a further think after kids have gone to bed!!
This is good, I am enjoying this!!

Keith

[sweetleaf]

I hadnt thought of that, still water and animals too close to the house means mozzies and bluebottles in the house doesnt it?

[plocket]

Oh BUM!!! Have I got to move the pond and the animals then??? Ok - no probs but where should I put them?

[madonplants]

Pond will be OK, as the fish will deal with the midges, especially if we have koi and a good filter running! Most people say a koi pond should be near the house, for ease of services and security, anyway!! The bog area, can go near the natural pond as I think it would look better there. That could be in a wildlife area in the S/W corner in front of the trees. Still waiting to hear what the chook people have to say, regarding them. Don't want them too far away from the house, as you don't want to have to walk far to collect the eggs, do you? Still working on stream, watched TV last night after kids went to bed!!

Keith

[plocket]

Ok I'm amending the plan again ;D I think we'll soon be ready to start planning the finer details like where more formal beds are going to go.

[madonplants]

Ooh, that is looking better. What soil have we got, clay, sand, acid, alkaline or neutral? We can then think of plants, can't we as well or am I ahead of myself here? ;D

Keith

[plocket]

I would have thought we should go with neutral! We can always plant specimen plants in containers!!!

We need something in that top right corner - oh and a meadow somewhere would be nice. The area to the left of the Orangery niggles me a bit...

[madonplants]

I suppose we have to have a shed of some description somewhere, why not put it there? Might be a spot to put a good sized coldframe as well. How about a childrens play area or would this upset the chooks? It does seem such a dead area, I know. What is going in the biodome, has this been mentioned before. I will check. Greenhouse?

Keith

[plocket]

I could change the orangery so that it's across that bottom part of the garden - but would it get enough sun?