How to landscape narrow side of house?

[JesseS6]

Hi All,

I’m after some suggestions/help on how we should landscape this narrow side of our house. We need to have water flow away from house but also have a neighbour who’s house and slab sits quite high. See attached photos.

 

 

 

[R4addZ]

Hi @JesseS6 

 Ok so cheapest way I can think of with a good visual effect is, first heaps of roundup and wait a week or so and if anything green comes back, roundup again! Then use builders black plastic, It's thicker than normal, (available from Bunnings) after doing your best to level things out! Then something like white stone chippings (or cheaper bluemetal chippings) to cover it. The transformation will be stunning!

[MitchellMc]

Hi @JesseS6,

A great suggestion from @R4addZ, and I'd agree that pebbles would be an excellent way to improve the look of the area. Before you get started, it's crucial to address the drainage issue. I'd recommend installing agi-pipe along the side of the house, ensuring it's sloped correctly to direct water away from the foundation. Have a professional connect it to your stormwater system. This will help prevent water from pooling near your home, which could otherwise lead to long-term structural issues.

Once the drainage is sorted, you can move on to landscaping. Pebbles are a great low-maintenance option, and you might also consider incorporating stepping stones or pavers to add some functionality if you'd like a walking path. Laying down weed matting beneath the pebbles or pavers is a good idea, as it prevents weeds from coming through while still allowing water to pass through and drain effectively.

If you're looking for more ideas, feel free to check out our Top 10 most popular side yard projects. There are some fantastic examples from our community that could inspire your own project.

PLease let us know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

[JesseS6]

Hi Mitch,

Thanks for this. Would i need to lay crushed rock and compact it before laying pavers and pebals? I was thinking I would need to put crushed rock down to allow drainage away from the house

[JacobZ]

Hi @JesseS6,

Thank you for the follow-up question.

Creating a compacted base before your pavers and pebbles is definitely advisable. It will allow drainage as you've mentioned while acting as support for the pavers that will not erode like dirt would.

Check out How To Prepare And Lay a Base For Pavers for some guidance.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob

[JesseS6]

Hey,

So I need to landscape the side path down the side of my house. The plan is to kill weeds, level the area. Lay crushed rock and compact, with stepping stones and pebbles. The area is 1300mm wide. I want to put some sort of garden bed along the neighbours wall and fence. By the time you build a raised garden bed (to hide neighbours slab and plinths that are giving out) it only leaves about 200mm wide of soil. I'm thinking of going two sleepers high for the garden bed and planting green screening hedges. Is 200mm wide enough? and do I need to have sleepers at the back on the neighbours fence/wall? any suggestions on plants?

this is the area, open to new suggestions on how to landscape this area.

thanks for the help!

[JacobZ]

Hi @JesseS6,

Thank you for your questions about landscaping your side path.

You'll want to have sleepers on the back edge of the garden bed. This is because having soil in direct contact with the fence will cause it to rot prematurely. The roots will also grow sideways through the fence and the additional pressure from the weight of the soil and water will cause issues. A combination of these things can cause the fence to degrade prematurely. It's best just to add that back sleeper to keep everything where it should be.

With this being said, sleepers start at 50mm wide, so having a front and back sleeper will limit your space by 100mm.

I understand wanting to maximise the width of the walking path, but is there a reason you want the garden bed to be so narrow?

Personally, I would make the garden bed 400mm wide (100mm of sleeper, 300mm of soil), which will leave 900mm for the path. I've just checked this measurement and am confident that 900mm is wide enough to walk down comfortably. With this sized garden bed, your hedges will look fuller, and their growth will be less restricted.

For this type of hedge, I like Buxus varieties such as Japanese Box or English Box. Lilly Pillies, specifically Szygium Australe varieties would also be good. For a more colourful option, you could also use lavender, however, it won't grow quite as tall as other options.

Allow me to tag @Noelle, @mich1972 and @Dave-1 for their thoughts.

Let me know what you think.

Jacob

[Noelle]

Hi @JesseS6 

The advice given by Jacob is on the money with regard to the widths, the need for the sleepers and plant choices.

The strip is very narrow and has a tall fence and the dwelling on each side, so there will be only a small period of direct sun during the day, so the plants you choose will need to be able to grow well with minimal light, especially in winter.

Many shrubs will 'stretch' to reach sunlight so you will need to keep on top of pruning to bush them up, otherwise they will grow very tall and spindly.

Keep in mind that any shrubs/trees will also need to be trimmed to keep them clear of the walkway.

[Dave-1]

Good Evening @JesseS6 

Mmmmm with the width you have to play with I am starting to think of pots instead of raise dgarden beds. It will deliminate the area nicely and help keep the plants in check. You could put a few posts in along the fence for a wire trellis (I generally dont like attaching things to fences as it will weaken the lifespan of the fence) Then grow anything from grapes to oranges (if its warm enough) in pots. Good build up of the material in the pot is the best move if you go that way. Also a watering schedual be it for pots or a narrow raised bed. I fail at this all the time

For a path that isnt used a lot I like the idea of a gravel base with stepping stone pavers along it, gravel will let he water through and also keep the soil from cooking. Plus any weeds that do grow through say a 80mm thick 8mm gravel path will be able to be remnoved as you water your plants.

That wire trellis idea would be perfect oppisite your window to break up reflected heat and green the space.

Dave