Big gardens. Any regrets?
Discussion
We're planning to move this year, and the properties we're looking at are all in the 1-3 acre category. Edge of village houses with large gardens; not small holdings or anything deeply rural. As far as I know none of them are houses where someone's bought some agri-land and then used it as a garden.
Our motivations are that we want to have enough land that we're never pushed for space regardless of what hobbies we take on, what garden follies we decide to build and so on. A proper-sized workshop (subject to planning permission) and the need to have a ride-on mower are exciting prospects too.
We're not looking to have a smallholding, and we're not hoping to subdivide a huge garden to build a load of houses (but, realistically we might want to look at building a bungalow in 20-30 years and give the big house to our daughter). We're no strangers to a decent sized garden, but an acre or more is a significant step up.
I am acutely aware that having an acre of lawn to mow every week is more of an undertaking even with a ride-on, and that improving the land goes from picking up a few free sacks of manure at the roadside to spending a decent amount of money for bulk materials and machinery. We work full-time, and aren't retiring any time soon so this would be an evenings and weekends habit, much as my current garden is. Just... much bigger.
Has anyone taken the plunge on a house with an acre-class garden and then regretted it?
Our motivations are that we want to have enough land that we're never pushed for space regardless of what hobbies we take on, what garden follies we decide to build and so on. A proper-sized workshop (subject to planning permission) and the need to have a ride-on mower are exciting prospects too.
We're not looking to have a smallholding, and we're not hoping to subdivide a huge garden to build a load of houses (but, realistically we might want to look at building a bungalow in 20-30 years and give the big house to our daughter). We're no strangers to a decent sized garden, but an acre or more is a significant step up.
I am acutely aware that having an acre of lawn to mow every week is more of an undertaking even with a ride-on, and that improving the land goes from picking up a few free sacks of manure at the roadside to spending a decent amount of money for bulk materials and machinery. We work full-time, and aren't retiring any time soon so this would be an evenings and weekends habit, much as my current garden is. Just... much bigger.
Has anyone taken the plunge on a house with an acre-class garden and then regretted it?
Short answer: Do it, brilliant idea.
Longer answer: You have no idea now how much more work it will be and how the costs can creep up on you.
I am now two and a bit years into a bigger house with a very big (think mid sized park) garden. In these last two years I have worked harder than ever before in my life. Spent more on plants than ever before and paid out a horrible amount for tree work to keep on top of existing trees.
Last summer I would regularly get up and get an hour of garden work in before work. I have been collecting a small armoury of tools (tractors, leaf hoover, chainsaw, bush wacker etc) and have purchased over a thousand bushes for the perimeter.
It is a lot of hard work and a lot of money. Do I regret any of it? No, absolutely not. Best thing we ever did and a total joy to sit back and look at it. Just remember to budget your time and money accordingly, then times it by ten!
Longer answer: You have no idea now how much more work it will be and how the costs can creep up on you.
I am now two and a bit years into a bigger house with a very big (think mid sized park) garden. In these last two years I have worked harder than ever before in my life. Spent more on plants than ever before and paid out a horrible amount for tree work to keep on top of existing trees.
Last summer I would regularly get up and get an hour of garden work in before work. I have been collecting a small armoury of tools (tractors, leaf hoover, chainsaw, bush wacker etc) and have purchased over a thousand bushes for the perimeter.
It is a lot of hard work and a lot of money. Do I regret any of it? No, absolutely not. Best thing we ever did and a total joy to sit back and look at it. Just remember to budget your time and money accordingly, then times it by ten!
We went from a normal garden to one with about one and half acres plus further paddocks of about 3 acres to which we then bought a further 7 acres or so.
The house also came with existing outbuildings and a tennis court and a menage to which we have subsequently added more outbuildings and a stable yard.
The garden itself gets mowed with a ride on when necessary - we tend to mulch rather than have stripes although my wife also uses a self propelled mower for those areas which are a pain to get to easily.
We also have a commercial hover mower and petrol strimmer.
All the flower beds get topped up with the horse manure when well rotted.
Whilst we get someone in to do the first 2 cuts of the year and all the garden hedges are also cut by them everything else we manage ourselves without additional help.
Very long winded no regrets.
The house also came with existing outbuildings and a tennis court and a menage to which we have subsequently added more outbuildings and a stable yard.
The garden itself gets mowed with a ride on when necessary - we tend to mulch rather than have stripes although my wife also uses a self propelled mower for those areas which are a pain to get to easily.
We also have a commercial hover mower and petrol strimmer.
All the flower beds get topped up with the horse manure when well rotted.
Whilst we get someone in to do the first 2 cuts of the year and all the garden hedges are also cut by them everything else we manage ourselves without additional help.
Very long winded no regrets.
MrMoonyMan said:
Short answer: Do it, brilliant idea.
Longer answer: You have no idea now how much more work it will be and how the costs can creep up on you.
I am now two and a bit years into a bigger house with a very big (think mid sized park) garden. In these last two years I have worked harder than ever before in my life. Spent more on plants than ever before and paid out a horrible amount for tree work to keep on top of existing trees.
Last summer I would regularly get up and get an hour of garden work in before work. I have been collecting a small armoury of tools (tractors, leaf hoover, chainsaw, bush wacker etc) and have purchased over a thousand bushes for the perimeter.
It is a lot of hard work and a lot of money. Do I regret any of it? No, absolutely not. Best thing we ever did and a total joy to sit back and look at it. Just remember to budget your time and money accordingly, then times it by ten!
Now that's what I call a "garden" - well done!Longer answer: You have no idea now how much more work it will be and how the costs can creep up on you.
I am now two and a bit years into a bigger house with a very big (think mid sized park) garden. In these last two years I have worked harder than ever before in my life. Spent more on plants than ever before and paid out a horrible amount for tree work to keep on top of existing trees.
Last summer I would regularly get up and get an hour of garden work in before work. I have been collecting a small armoury of tools (tractors, leaf hoover, chainsaw, bush wacker etc) and have purchased over a thousand bushes for the perimeter.
It is a lot of hard work and a lot of money. Do I regret any of it? No, absolutely not. Best thing we ever did and a total joy to sit back and look at it. Just remember to budget your time and money accordingly, then times it by ten!
I could literally spend hours in there.
Of our land, about 2-3 acres are what could charitably be referred to as 'garden'. We are not gardeners. There are no flower borders. Half of it is lawn, half woodland. Of the woodland, half of that is an orchard. We have hens and a vegetable patch. The rest of the land has either been planted as woodland, or is grazed by sheep.
I don't feel it takes up too much time, but as I said, we are not gardeners, and prefer the slightly wild, natural look, rather than over cultivated high-maintenance 'fussy' gardens. The lawns take an hour or so weekly-ish, which is fine. The orchard gets trimmed and tidied a couple of times a year. The new woodland needs a little maintenance, but the older stuff manages itself.
Having space is such a privilege, especially if you have children. I haven't regretted it for a moment. Even when it needs tending to, it's not 'work', it is pleasurable spending time in nature away from everything else.
I don't feel it takes up too much time, but as I said, we are not gardeners, and prefer the slightly wild, natural look, rather than over cultivated high-maintenance 'fussy' gardens. The lawns take an hour or so weekly-ish, which is fine. The orchard gets trimmed and tidied a couple of times a year. The new woodland needs a little maintenance, but the older stuff manages itself.
Having space is such a privilege, especially if you have children. I haven't regretted it for a moment. Even when it needs tending to, it's not 'work', it is pleasurable spending time in nature away from everything else.
Simpo Two said:
Someone near us has a place like that and they foster children. They said it's quite common for children to arrive, look out of a window and ask if they can go and play "in the park"!OTOH a mate is trying to sell a semi-rural place for a couple of million with 3 acres (that he does the bare minimum with) and he's been told it doesn't have enough land.
Simpo Two said:
A haha and some sheep?
Or how about a team of robot mowers?
A gardener?
It's a nice problem to have!
Robot mowers are a great shout. Ours paid for themselves in the first year, leaving only edge tidying and hard to reach areas to cut. Much quieter than having gardeners out with mowers.Or how about a team of robot mowers?
A gardener?
It's a nice problem to have!
A gardener less of a good shout. Good solo gardeners are hard to find, especially ones that can do pretty gardening as well as the heavier jobs. Whenever we've advertised we either get people who:
1) Only want to work with someone else/in a team (all seem to want to be Head Gardener); or
2) Only want to do the "nice" bits of a country house garden (growing and planting); or
3) Only seem to want to use noisy kit. All day; or
4) Are older folk who want to get paid for basically pottering around a nice garden.
We did have an excellent chap but, thanks to brexit, he's no longer working in the UK...
Don't forget to take into account the seasonal nature of gardens. Short days and bad weather limit what gets done in winter: you need to think about how that affects the economics if you are paying others to do it.
Also don't forget the house. If you have climbing plants then dealing with those might not be a solo job (irrespective of whether you do it yourself or have a gardener).
There are unexpected setup costs too. Tools aside, look at what long, large bore, hosepipe (and associated carts) cost...
donkmeister said:
I am acutely aware that having an acre of lawn to mow every week is more of an undertaking even with a ride-on, and that improving the land goes from picking up a few free sacks of manure at the roadside to spending a decent amount of money for bulk materials and machinery. We work full-time, and aren't retiring any time soon so this would be an evenings and weekends habit, much as my current garden is. Just... much bigger.
Has anyone taken the plunge on a house with an acre-class garden and then regretted it?
It's a slippery slope into bigger kit - before you know it, you'll be watching videos of diggers, and justifying a little one. (Which is entirely sensible!).Has anyone taken the plunge on a house with an acre-class garden and then regretted it?
Mowing (for 99% of people) gets tedious very fast, so you may want to look beyond Noddy domestic ride-ons, e.g. £10k+ zero turns. Or robots, which can also be £10k. Depends if that's fun or not for you!
Yes it’s great if you have the time. I started and got a lot of kit and did most of it myself but with work commitments I got a gardener for most and do some grass cutting on the rido on myself. Don’t have a tractor but need one. The woodland part is left a bit wild and I get the tree surgeon once a year. Probably needed to be every 2 months but it gets costly. This is just over 5 acres.
Worth it if you either have posts of cash to pay someone else to make it nice for you or if you don’t mind doing some work it can be rewarding… again if you have the time.
In my experience bigger machines are worth it because they do the same job in half the time.
Worth it if you either have posts of cash to pay someone else to make it nice for you or if you don’t mind doing some work it can be rewarding… again if you have the time.
In my experience bigger machines are worth it because they do the same job in half the time.
My brother has just over 2 acres.
He quite enjoyed cutting the grass with his ride-on, but that is now wearing off.
The real problem is cutting the "hedges" that surround most of it , and then trying to dispose of of all the cuttings.
I can see it becoming a major problem as he gets older.
He quite enjoyed cutting the grass with his ride-on, but that is now wearing off.
The real problem is cutting the "hedges" that surround most of it , and then trying to dispose of of all the cuttings.
I can see it becoming a major problem as he gets older.
If I had a really large garden
Mulching ride on lawn mower so no need to dispose of grass cuttings.
Get a large greenhouse to help with growing my own plants and veg from seed.
Have a large veg patch and fruit cage
Have a cut flower growing area for flowers for the house, friends/neighbours etc
Have a large compost heap
Mulching ride on lawn mower so no need to dispose of grass cuttings.
Get a large greenhouse to help with growing my own plants and veg from seed.
Have a large veg patch and fruit cage
Have a cut flower growing area for flowers for the house, friends/neighbours etc
Have a large compost heap
Edited by The Gauge on Wednesday 25th February 18:01
Sounds like unanimous consensus that (large) size matters!
I was never a parkland owner but have had a few very large gardens and would absolutely echo the sentiments expressed so far. Space, privacy, green space, nature, wildlife, options to shape and zone the land, excitement for children and guests, and so on and so on.
Yes you'll need some equipment, and yes you'll need to spend money on maintenance and planting, but it's all worth it and you'll be shaping nature for the future.
A large garden is close to heaven as far as I'm concerned. Go for it!
I was never a parkland owner but have had a few very large gardens and would absolutely echo the sentiments expressed so far. Space, privacy, green space, nature, wildlife, options to shape and zone the land, excitement for children and guests, and so on and so on.
Yes you'll need some equipment, and yes you'll need to spend money on maintenance and planting, but it's all worth it and you'll be shaping nature for the future.
A large garden is close to heaven as far as I'm concerned. Go for it!
I'd like a big garden for the peace and privacy it affords. Upkeep wouldn't bother me as much, you can let much of it go to meadow.
I would have a seperated contained area for growing veggies and flowers.
I can't really see the appeal of an acre of grass. But being able to play cricket naked would come in handy.
I would have a seperated contained area for growing veggies and flowers.
I can't really see the appeal of an acre of grass. But being able to play cricket naked would come in handy.
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