Need ideas for shaded narrow garden area

[Fiona82]

I’m after ideas for improving this south west corner space as we look out to it from a bedroom. As you can see it’s narrow. Just 1m at closest end and 2.5-3 at widest point.   Gets an hour of morning sun but in shade most of day. It’s our side access to backyard so need to maintain that. The pipes to water tank have broken due to traffic so I’ll bury those deeper. I’ve started a small narrow garden bed and will use steel edging to keep a narrow profile.  Had thought of paving under the clothesline but it’s too narrow and would jut into the walkway. Don’t much like pebbles but maybe that’s the only option because grass won’t grow of course. I’m thinking move the clothesline, add a pathway of stepping  stones and add a garden bed around tank and along left wall as well as the one I’ve made. Would really welcome help with low budget ideas. Thanks 

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Fiona82. It's marvelous to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about improving your side yard.

Your space sounds like a great opportunity for a low-maintenance garden design. Moving the clothesline and adding stepping stones for the pathway is a smart idea—it’ll keep the area practical and make it more visually appealing. Bordering the stepping stones with ground covers like Dichondra repens or Native Violet would look amazing. They’re great for low light and will create a soft, green look without needing much maintenance.

For the garden beds, consider shade-loving plants like clivia, liriope, or asplenium ferns. They’ll add a lush feel to the space, and they’re relatively low-cost. If you prefer a pop of colour hydrangeas can thrive in partial shade.

Instead of pebbles, what about using bark mulch? It’s affordable, looks natural, and won’t take over the space like pebbles might. 

Another low-maintenance option would be synthetic turf. The premium varieties offer a realistic look.

You might like to check out our Top 10 most popular side yard projects for inspiration.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell
 

[Fiona82]

thanks for the advice and tips. I've looked at the example projects you've put up. Of course there's a few more questions. I'm considering adding a screen in front of the watertank -  the distance would be 1200mm .... the jack matrix black plastic screen I/N 0012575 is the right width - would i need to build a frame with concreted posts to attach the screen to?  are there any other products that you think might achieve the screening i'm after? 

also if i put in 600mm pavers would i need a wet (concrete) base or would a dry one be okay?  

thanks

fiona

[JacobZ]

Hi @Fiona82,

The Jack Matrix 1.9m Screen Support Post with Cap Foot and Mount Kit would be perfect for what you are looking to do. This would require you to pour concrete footings and then bolt the posts to them. This can be done by digging a hole roughly 300mm in diameter and 300mm deep and pouring concrete in for each post.

You could also create a custom screen using 90 x 90mm 2.4m Treated Pine Premium KD Posts and 42 x 19mm Merbau Solid Screening which can be cut to 1200mm in-store. Once again this would require the posts to be concreted in to achieve a solid screen.

There are many ways to create screens that you can choose from, you might like to check out our Top 10 most popular screening projects for some inspiration.

With 600mm pavers, you can use a compacted sand base, which is dry, or you can use a mortar base which will be wet. Either will work, and there are benefits to each. 

The main benefit of a sand base is that there is no workable time frame, whereas mortar will set if it's left for too long. The main benefits of mortar are that each paver can be adjusted to level and the mortar will add some additional holding power to keep the paver in place.

The most important thing with your pavers is to ensure that you have a suitably compacted base. You can use road base to create the base and compact it using a Trojan 205mm Tamper. Once compacted you can use either sand or mortar over the compacted base to level and set your pavers in place.

You might like to check out How To Prepare And Lay a Base For Pavers and How To Lay Pavers for some guidance.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob