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ugly east facing side garden off deck

4 years ago

I have a terribly ugly area off my deck that is heavily shaded due to the deck and the neighbours over hanging trees.

Measures 12m. there's a 2m section off the house to the first deck post. this is where I would prefer the bbq and ideally a bench to put glassware on and an outdoor fridge or Engel that we can just turn on when guests are over (we do have a drinks fridge inside the door but its not convenient when we are sitting outside to go in and out all day.

the next section is three gaps of deck posts that are around 3.3m in width.

first and third gap I was thinking of putting pots with plants. the middle gap id love to put a modern chimnea for warmth and ambience.

so im asking advice for:

- the ground - I was initially thinking of putting stones along there (because its an easy and cheap option) but the neighbours trees drop ALOT and I thought it might be hard to keep it tidy. otherwise paving or synthetic grass?

- something to hide the fence - although the pool and irrigation pipes are underground and run along that fence so I cant dig in posts for screens...

-bbq and bench solution. when the builders were onsite they were going to do a cheeky extension of the deck to the fence so that I could have the bbq there. but the renos done now and they aren't on site anymore so its not going to happen. what else could I do?

thanks

deck from back of house to first post - the left is where td prefer the bbqs to go.

modern chimnea styly that I like

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Comments (5)

julie herbert
4 years ago
Hi,
You could attach screens to the fence , a seat beneath this could double as storage , planter boxes with screens sitting on ground could look great , circular wall garden would look fab, or a row of planters with a stone mulch , invest in a Ryobi battery operated blower to clean any leaves from mulch, I have lots of deciduous trees so heaps of leaves and this lightweight blower is fabulous, cleans stone mulch effortlessly and leaves garden and outdoor area looking spotless, no more raking or sweeping anymore.
julie herbert
4 years ago
With your chiminea, you could match it up with some fabulous pots add some outdoor light posts and you could have a wonderful entertaining area, you could extend decking for your barbecue by using one of the diy decking solutions that are available at Bunnings.
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diddymoo
Original Author
4 years ago
thanks Julie. great ideas! I was a bit concerned about the plants though due to the lack of sunshine - I would prefer plants that work for me - especially outside the kitchen but I know that citrus and herbs wont grow there and I'm not a big fern person.

I have checked out the screens at Bunnings as they are light - which is what I need for the aluminium fence. but you can stil see their screen due to the size of the Bunnings ones.

I have checked out the screens at Bunnings as they are light - which is what I need for the aluminium fence. but you can still see their screen due to the size of the Bunnings ones.
julie herbert
4 years ago
Not sure what plants you love but here are a few that would handle your area and look fabulous in planters, sansivera, Xanadu, Rhapis and succulents , not sure if you are in Melbourne but there is a company called Chippy’s who sell wonderful screens or even Ebay has quite a range.
PRO
Plants in a box
4 years ago
Hey there, from the photos it looks like it gets a little bit of sun. You could try star jasmine in pots and using a trellis system they will grow to cover the fence. Or if it is full shade I'd recommend Rhapis excelsa underplanted with Philodendron xanadu. The xanadu will spread so you won't see the ground and have to worry about leaves dropping.

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