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Before and after · wildlife pond · full sun

Wildlife pond ideas: a scorched lawn redesigned as a gravel garden with a small pond, drifts for bees and an oak bench

A wide lawn gone brown in the sun, seen from a grey sandstone patio, with a washing line frame at the back, two inspection covers in the grass and fences on three sides. From one photo, it was redesigned as a gravel garden for wildlife: paths of pale gravel wind out from the patio between drifts of salvias, coneflowers and lavender, a small pond with a pebble edge and a stepping stone sits on the right, an oak bench stands at the far end, and the fences are stained a warm brown behind Californian lilac and firethorn.

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After: the same view with paths of pale gravel winding out from the patio between drifts of purple salvias, lavender, pink coneflowers and yellow black eyed Susans, a small pond with a pebble edge and a stepping stone on the right, an untreated oak bench against the back fence, the fences stained a warm brown behind blue Californian lilac and orange firethorn, and the tree, the conifer and the patio where they were
Before: the owner’s photo. After: the design drawn from it.
How it works

One photo of your garden, redrawn with a finished design

Shown with another design from the gallery. This wildlife gravel garden works the same way.

  1. A deep prairie border in a walled garden: purple salvia, orange geum, foxgloves, echinacea and lime green alchemilla spilling over a brick edge onto a lawn.The ideal design

    The garden you want

    A finished design from the gallery, with its planting and its materials.

  2. A different garden before any work: a plain rectangle of lawn between slatted timber fences, with a bench against a shed at the far end and two bare trees.Your garden

    Add your garden photo

    One picture of your garden that shows the whole plot.

  3. The same garden with that planting in it: a stone path winding to the same bench, echinacea, rudbeckia, liatris and grasses either side, the same fences, shed and trees kept.The result

    Your dream garden

    The same style of planting and the same materials, drawn around what was already there.

Transform My Garden like this First 3 designs free · no card · UK plantsOr start a design from scratch

This makeover at a glance

Style
Wildlife gravel garden
Shape
Nearly square, 12 by 14 metres, with the patio at the house end
Light
Full sun, clay soil
Started as
A scorched lawn, a washing line and two inspection covers

Kept

  • The sandstone patio
  • The tree at the back
  • The conifer on the right
  • The fence lines, stained a warm brown in the design

Changed

  • A pebble edged pond
  • Gravel paths between beds
  • Salvias, coneflowers, lavender
  • An oak bench, stained fences
In the design

Wildlife pond ideas, drawn into one gravel garden

  1. A pebble edged pond, close up in the design
    Brown grass and bare soil, the same spot beforeBefore

    Brown grass and bare soil A pebble edged pond

    A small wildlife pond with a pebble edge, set among the planting on the right

    The pond is small, edged with pebbles and cobbles, with a stepping stone at one side and planting right up to the water. The design puts it on the right of the plot, in full sun and in view of both the bench and the patio. The pond is drawn with a shallow edge of pebbles and planting close to the water, the two things a wildlife pond needs most.

  2. Gravel paths between beds, close up in the design
    A scorched lawn, the same spot beforeBefore

    A scorched lawn Gravel paths between beds

    Gravel paths in place of the scorched lawn, winding out from the patio

    Paths of pale gravel take the place of the lawn, leading out from the patio and winding between the beds to the pond and the bench, so the planting sits as islands with the walk running round them. On a plot in full sun, pale gravel keeps its colour through a dry summer and gives a clear route round the planting.

  3. Salvias, coneflowers, lavender, close up in the design
    Grass and bare soil, the same spot beforeBefore

    Grass and bare soil Salvias, coneflowers, lavender

    Drifts for bees: salvias, coneflowers and lavender in full sun

    The beds are planted in drifts of the plants bees and butterflies come to: purple salvias and lavender nearest the patio, pink coneflowers and yellow black eyed Susans in the middle, and pinks and creeping thyme spilling over the gravel at the front. Lavender, salvias and thyme take a dry summer once they are established, and each is planted as a drift rather than as one plant, so the colour reads from the patio.

  4. An oak bench, stained fences, close up in the design
    A washing line at the back, the same spot beforeBefore

    A washing line at the back An oak bench, stained fences

    An oak bench at the far end, with the fences stained a warm brown behind blue and orange shrubs

    An untreated oak bench stands at the far end, near the back fence, looking back down the garden to the patio. In the design the fences are stained a warm brown and planted in front: Californian lilac in blue and butterfly bush at the back, and firethorn trained against the fence for its orange berries. The stained fence sits back behind the shrubs, and the bench gives the gravel paths somewhere to go.

Before: a wide back garden seen from a grey sandstone patio, the lawn gone brown and bare in the sun, two inspection covers in the grass on the left, a washing line frame at the back, grey fences on three sides, a mature tree above the back left corner, a conifer on the right and the neighbours’ roofs beyond under a blue sky
Before: the owner’s photo.
Before

A wide lawn scorched brown, with a washing line and two inspection covers

A grey sandstone patio at the house end, then a wide lawn gone brown and bare in the sun, two inspection covers in the grass on the left and a washing line frame at the back. Grey fences on three sides, a mature tree above the back left corner, a conifer on the right and the neighbours’ roofs beyond.

The design keeps the patio, the tree and the fence lines where they were, and takes out the lawn and the washing line; the inspection covers disappear under the gravel.

In the beds

Salvias, coneflowers and lavender: the planting in the gravel

All of them chosen for full sun on clay, and for the bees and butterflies.

  1. SalviasPurple spikes in drifts, nearest the patio
  2. LavenderAt the front, by the path
  3. ConeflowersPink, through the middle
  4. PinksLow and pink, at the front by the path
  5. Creeping thymeSpilling over the patio edge
  6. Californian lilacBlue, against the back fence
  7. FirethornTrained on the fence at the back, for its orange berries
  8. Butterfly bushBeside the bench at the back

With Pro, every design you make names every plant in it, how big each one grows, where it goes and when it flowers, so you know what to look for at the garden centre.

What you get

What comes back from one photo of your garden

  • Redesigned around your fences and trees. About two minutes after you add your photo, in the same style and materials as this garden.
  • Planting matched to your light and soil. Add your light and soil if you know them, and the planting follows them.
  • Every plant named, with Pro or Max. Pro is one payment: £29 for 20 designs over 14 days, two at once; Max, £49 for 50 over 30 days, four at once. Every one names its plants, how big each grows, where it goes and when it flowers.
  • Built by a professional gardener. Real plants that grow in UK gardens.
Transform My Garden like this First 3 designs free · no card · UK plantsOr start a design from scratch
Questions

Questions about this wildlife pond design

Where should a wildlife pond go in a garden?

In sun for most of the day, with planting around it and somewhere to sit in view of it. Here it sits on the right of the plot in full sun, between the bench at the far end and the patio.

Does a gravel garden work on clay soil?

Yes. This design lays the gravel paths on a grid that holds them firm on clay, and the plants, salvias, coneflowers, lavender and thyme, all like full sun once their roots are down.

How much does a garden makeover design like this cost?

Your first 3 garden designs are free, no card required. After that, Pro is one payment: £29 for 20 designs over 14 days, two at once; Max, £49 for 50 over 30 days, four at once, every plant named in every one, and clean pictures to keep.

Is the after picture a real garden?

The before is the owner’s own photo. The after is the design Garden Design App drew from it, using real plants you can buy in the UK.

Keep reading

More before and after garden makeovers

After: the same strip as a planted courtyard, with a paved path through deep borders of lavender, purple salvias, coneflowers and grasses to a small table and chairs
Part sun · narrow plot

Wildlife garden makeover

A narrow strip of lawn, redesigned as a paved path between deep borders of lavender and salvias.

After: the same plot with a brick and stone path curving to the shed between deep borders of roses, delphiniums, lupins, foxgloves and peonies, with terracotta urns at the top of the path
Full sun · fenced plot

Cottage garden makeover

A bare, straw coloured lawn and a deck crowded with pots, redesigned as deep borders of roses, delphiniums and lupins.

After: the same garden as a Mediterranean gravel garden, with pale gravel, flagstone stepping stones, clipped olive trees in terracotta pots, drifts of lavender and a timber arch
Full sun · acid soil

Mediterranean garden makeover

A rectangle of lawn, redesigned as pale gravel, olive trees and drifts of lavender.

After: the same garden with an irregular stone path winding through grasses, white anemones, foxgloves and peonies to the chairs at the far end
Shade · town garden

Small town garden makeover

Long grass and a hosepipe in a shaded town garden, redesigned as a winding path through grasses and shade planting.

After: the same passage with a stone flag path running through deep shade planting of ferns, hostas, foxgloves, periwinkle and a Japanese maple against the fence
Deep shade · narrow run

Shady side passage makeover

The bit down the side where the bins live, redesigned as a shaded path of ferns, hostas and foxgloves.

After: the same yard with pale limestone paving, a curved lawn edged in brick and deep borders of catmint, salvias, coneflowers and climbing roses
Full sun · clay soil

Modern garden makeover

Slabs, bare soil and a blank brick gable, redesigned as curved lawn and deep planted borders.

After: the same plot as a meadow garden, with a stepping stone path through deep borders of purple salvias, crimson scabious, pink coneflowers and grasses, wisteria and clematis on the fence beneath the gable, and the deck edged with lavender
Part sun · clay

New build garden makeover

A rectangle of new turf beside a blank gable, redesigned as a meadow of salvias and scabious, with climbers on the fence and the shed.

After: the same plot as a white gravel garden, with one straight path of large grey slabs to a small patio under a white pergola, deep borders of white rock roses, lamb’s ears and white foxgloves along sage green fences, and agaves in terracotta pots
Full sun · clay

Long garden makeover

A long plot of grey gravel and slabs, redesigned as a white gravel garden with one slab path to a pergola at the far end.

After: the same plot as a cottage garden, the lawn replaced by beds of delphiniums, foxgloves and roses either side of a stepping stone path to a metal bench, climbing roses on the side fences, catmint at the foot of the wall, a terracotta pot on the step and thyme in the joints of the patio
Part sun

Tiered garden makeover

A slab patio, a step and a raised lawn, redesigned as a cottage garden with roses on the fences for privacy and a bench at the top.

After: the same plot as a cottage garden, an oak framed gazebo with a slate roof where the summerhouse was, a teak table and chairs under it, a gravel path through lavender and catmint, borders of pink roses, blue delphiniums and silver lamb’s ears on both sides, clematis and roses on the black fence either side of the gazebo
Full sun · dry

Gazebo garden makeover

A lawn gone brown and dry and an old summerhouse, redesigned as a cottage garden with an oak gazebo and a gravel path through lavender.

After: the same view with the pergola in full wisteria flower over the deck, a lawn with curved edges and deep borders of foxgloves, mullein, geum, catmint and black eyed Susans, a path of sandstone slabs through gravel to a small sandstone patio with a bistro table and two chairs to the right of the lawn, and the brick walls and back shrubs where they were
Full sun

Wisteria pergola garden makeover

A patchy lawn under a wisteria pergola, redesigned as a curved lawn with deep borders for bees and a sandstone patio to the right of the lawn.

After: the same view with a path of grey and buff stone laid in herringbone curving down the middle to the foot of the spiral staircase, borders of Mexican feather grass, Japanese forest grass, blue fescue and heuchera on both sides with blue delphiniums and purple top verbena rising through them, lavender beside the path, lilac clematis and pale climbing roses on the fences, and the staircase, the brick house and the shrub where they were
Part sun · clay

Urban garden makeover

A narrow strip of artificial grass under a spiral staircase, redesigned as a curved herringbone path through borders of grasses and perennials.

After: the design drawn from the patio edge, with a winding path of buff gravel held by low stone edging, deep borders on both sides of pink and white roses, astrantia, catmint, white foxgloves, blue delphiniums, sea holly, white brunnera and lady’s mantle, a white clematis over the trellis on the left, the yew where it was, the fences stained a warm brown and a weathered teak bench under the trees at the far end.
Full sun · acid

Winding path garden makeover

A lawn beside a patio, redesigned as a winding gravel path with low stone edging through deep borders of roses and catmint, to a bench under the trees.

After: a design drawn from the owner’s photo, with large grey slabs laid at an angle with dark pebbles between them, curved beds edged in metal holding New Zealand flax, agave, yucca, purple salvias, orange geum, white gaura and Mexican daisies, the fences stained charcoal with star jasmine on the right one, an L of teak seating built round a gas fire pit in the back corner, an olive tree in a tall planter beside it, the boarded wall and the potted shrub where they were, and the neighbours’ brick houses and roofs beyond.
Light and soil not recorded

Fire pit garden makeover

A lawn gone brown between a boarded wall and a fence, redesigned as a paved garden with slabs floating in pebbles, architectural planting and teak seating built round a fire pit.

After: the same garden drawn as a cottage garden, a flagstone path down the left, a circular lawn in the middle, deep borders of blue delphiniums, pink and white foxgloves, purple hardy geraniums, pink and peach roses, catmint and box balls, espalier fruit trees on the wall at the back, a timber arch, oak table and chairs on pea gravel at the far end, and roses and lilac clematis on the warm stained fence.
Full sun (the design’s notes) · soil not recorded

Cottage garden plan makeover

A lawn beside a concrete path, redesigned as an English cottage garden: a circular lawn in deep borders, a flagstone path, espaliers on the wall and oak seating on gravel at the end.

Transform My Garden like this