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After spending my entire adult life renting (bar a few periods back at home with my parents) and having to only grow in containers, I am finally close to being able to buy my first home. Obviously the garden is going to be hugely important. Location, being in a good state of repair, and not needing a lot of work doing (ideally, nothing beyond basic cosmetics) are probably my biggest priorities for the house, but I think the garden comes next for me.
If you were buying now, with the garden in mind, what would you be looking for? I'm mostly looking for realistic suggestions rather than absolute dream gardens (though that would make a good thread too). I have a decent budget/well paid job and have a good deposit, but am buying on my own so can't afford as much as I could if I were buying with a partner on a similar salary. Think nice 3 - 4 bedroom semis in a decent area of Northern England, but not the very expensive bits near to the best state schools.
Things I'm already thinking (sorry, lots of poorly connected meandering thoughts here):
Size matters - not too big, not too small. But how to get the balance right for someone who works full time? I've seen some larger gardens on Rightmove that look ideal for having an orchard/wildflower area, so big doesn't necessarily mean more work. I do think it's really hard to get a sense of the size of the garden from estate agent photos.
Aspect - people often say south or south west facing is best, but if you are in a suburban area then it isn't only your own house creating shade in your garden and you may not get the full benefits. And if your garden is big enough, then there will be plenty of bits not shaded by the house anyway. Am I just misunderstanding aspect?
Privet hedges take a lot of maintenance. Could run the trimmings through a chipper to make mulch for the garden (once it's decomposed a bit), but I think I'd still prefer fences, walls or more useful traditional hedging like sloes, hazel, hawthorn etc.
Flatter is going to be easier, but harder to come by a completely flat garden in the area around the city built on seven hills (not Rome, the other one) than my current location. I suspect aspect is more important in a sloping garden than a flat one.
I'd rather have somewhere mostly laid to lawn or completely wild than somewhere the previous owners have created an amazing ornamental garden that I will feel guilty digging up for my fruit and veg. A patio/concrete/paved area for containers would be a plus.
If there's already a greenhouse (that will be staying), that would be amazing.
I hate decking. I really, really hate it. How easy is it to get rid of?
I need to remember that a lot of pictures I'm seeing now are in winter lighting and may not look as good for growing as they will when it really matters. On the other hand, gardens with trees aren't being shaded in the same way they will be in the Summer so may look deceptively well lit.
If a garden is a decent size but someone has poured concrete over half of it, how hard is that going to be to get rid of? What about paving?
If you were buying now, with the garden in mind, what would you be looking for? I'm mostly looking for realistic suggestions rather than absolute dream gardens (though that would make a good thread too). I have a decent budget/well paid job and have a good deposit, but am buying on my own so can't afford as much as I could if I were buying with a partner on a similar salary. Think nice 3 - 4 bedroom semis in a decent area of Northern England, but not the very expensive bits near to the best state schools.
Things I'm already thinking (sorry, lots of poorly connected meandering thoughts here):
Size matters - not too big, not too small. But how to get the balance right for someone who works full time? I've seen some larger gardens on Rightmove that look ideal for having an orchard/wildflower area, so big doesn't necessarily mean more work. I do think it's really hard to get a sense of the size of the garden from estate agent photos.
Aspect - people often say south or south west facing is best, but if you are in a suburban area then it isn't only your own house creating shade in your garden and you may not get the full benefits. And if your garden is big enough, then there will be plenty of bits not shaded by the house anyway. Am I just misunderstanding aspect?
Privet hedges take a lot of maintenance. Could run the trimmings through a chipper to make mulch for the garden (once it's decomposed a bit), but I think I'd still prefer fences, walls or more useful traditional hedging like sloes, hazel, hawthorn etc.
Flatter is going to be easier, but harder to come by a completely flat garden in the area around the city built on seven hills (not Rome, the other one) than my current location. I suspect aspect is more important in a sloping garden than a flat one.
I'd rather have somewhere mostly laid to lawn or completely wild than somewhere the previous owners have created an amazing ornamental garden that I will feel guilty digging up for my fruit and veg. A patio/concrete/paved area for containers would be a plus.
If there's already a greenhouse (that will be staying), that would be amazing.
I hate decking. I really, really hate it. How easy is it to get rid of?
I need to remember that a lot of pictures I'm seeing now are in winter lighting and may not look as good for growing as they will when it really matters. On the other hand, gardens with trees aren't being shaded in the same way they will be in the Summer so may look deceptively well lit.
If a garden is a decent size but someone has poured concrete over half of it, how hard is that going to be to get rid of? What about paving?
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