Off-road eyesore

The front of the house often gets forgotten, but if you can forego your parking space, it's a great opportunity for a spot of gardening

After: a vast improvement

Before

'We have decided to take it slowly and let the plants grow a bit bigger, before putting more in, to prevent it from becoming too crowded.'

After

Before

A work in progress

Our front garden was the worst eyesore on the cul-de-sac and, quite frankly, an embarrassment. I used to make excuses for it to the neighbours. Since moving into the property two years ago, we have been busy doing up the house and the back garden while trying to decide whether to make off-street parking at the front or not. This spring, when my parents came over to visit from Sweden, we decided to use the help of my dad - who is a very good handyman - to transform the front garden and forget about the parking. A few days later, and on a rather modest budget, it was difficult to believe that it was the same plot. It's still far from finished as it will need more plants, and some of the few plants that we kept from the old garden have not quite made a recovery after being moved around. But we have decided to take it slowly and let the plants grow a bit bigger, before putting more in, to prevent it from becoming too crowded.

Victoria Stenberg
Middlesex

I'm always on the lookout for descriptions and photographs of garden makeovers, including 'before' and 'after' shots. We publish the best in Gardens Monthly magazine as well as on Gardening.co.uk. Why not upload yours to the Gallery, or email me with your digital images and text. Alternatively, send text and photographs by snail mail to Sarah Brocklehurst, Magicalia Publishing Ltd, Berwick House, 8-10 Knoll Rise, Orpington, Kent, BR6 OEL.