Our Courtyard Garden - Design Plan

As you may have seen if you follow me on Facebook or Instagram Mr P and I have been getting our hands dirty working in the front courtyard garden these last few weekends.

Over the years of dreaming of the perfect courtyard garden I've changed my mind many times on what I want out here and while the final design may not be my absolute dream garden it's pretty close for our budget, current needs, and being mindful of resale and the needs of others in the future.

This is what the courtyard looks like from the inside and outside at the moment ..... it's basically a blank canvas waiting to be painted!

This is what Mr P and I have come up with for our courtyard garden design:

Two large rectangles of lawn

Paving all around the outside

Large paved area for seating 

Shade sails over the seating area

Succulent garden bed around the bedroom

Vegetable and herb garden beds to the side

Screen for the bins and reticulation controls

This is the courtyard garden design plan .... in a bit more detail:

Lawn

I know there's a trend towards synthetic lawn as it requires little to no maintenance and no water but synthetic lawn really heats up in the sun and the courtyard gets full sun for most of the day so it wasn't an option for us - plus you just can't beat real grass, the environment needs it, and more importantly our furbaby Lexi needs it too! 

We will have two large rectangles of grass between the pavers. This was the best we could do for the odd shaped space and I'm hoping this design will look modern and artistic.

Paving

We will lay pavers all around the outside area as well as a paved path to pull the rubbish bins out and a large paved area for seating.

The pavers will be the same colour as the limestone fence walls as the light colour keeps cool underfoot and won't heat up too much in the sun.

Seating Area

There will be a fairly large paved area for an outdoor seating area - with a lounger, chairs and coffee table.

Mr P is also considering building a built in bench seat nearby along the back wall which would be awesome not only for seating but storage as well.

Shade Sails

It is full sun out here for most of the day so shade is a must so we can sit out here and enjoy it all year round.

We thought about building a patio but that would need council approval and be very expensive so in the end we decided shade sails would be a better option. The shade sails will be placed over the seating area and attach to the roof of the house and pillars of the courtyard.

We are in the process of getting quotes for shade sails as the support poles need to be installed before we can do the paving.

Succulent and Rain Chain Garden

In front of the bedroom we have already set up some large pots with a rain chain feature and want to finish this garden bed with succulents and hardy plants surrounded by pebbles.

I'm so excited that my obsession with succulents can finally run wild in this garden!

Vegetable and Herb Garden

We haven't quite decided whether we'll build in a brick garden bed or if we'll buy some large metal tubs, but either way this garden will be along the side wall as it gets some shade from the sun here.

We have already laid the reticulation so it will be ready to hook up water supply once it's done.

I can't wait to grow my own herbs again I really miss being able to pick them fresh from the garden when cooking.

Timber Screen For Rubbish Bins

We have 3 large wheelie rubbish bins that we want to hide behind a screen and these will be moved to the far corner of the courtyard out of sight.

Initially I wanted a decorative metal screen but the pattern allow you to see through them too much. So instead Mr P has started to make a timber screen from the same timber look slats as the courtyard fence. 

Now that we have decided on the courtyard garden design and have a clear vision for what we want out here - we have been getting quotes for some of the work and started work on the projects we can DIY and tackle ourselves.

I really can't wait for us to make the most of this outdoor space which has been an unused sandpit for far too long!

What do you think of the courtyard design plan? 

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[First 3 images my own
All other images via my Pinterest 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14]