This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.
Beginner looking to make flower bed
Dirty Harry
Posts: 1,048
Just recently made an effort to set up some potted herbs and a couple of other things but looking to expand on the space I have and make the garden a bit less barren, as shown below-
My thinking is to potentially create a flower bed where the chips run along the side of the lawn on the right hand side. Fine to just use the existing slab edges of the lawn to separate the two?
The garden gets plenty of sun, towards the left of the image is south so this spot would see the most sun.
Just want to know if there's anything in particular to concern myself with.
0
Posts
I'm guessing there's a weed membrane of some sort under that gravel? If so then the soil under will probably be relatively compacted and also fairly low in nutrient having been covered for a while - years perhaps? So you'll need to break up the compaction - it will probably be safe to rotavate it as I doubt you have many nasty weeds alive under there, or a hard days digging with a fork - then add a good thick layer of organic mulch material - compost or composted manure to boost the fertility.
Worst case is that there's a concrete slab under there? If so you might be better leaving the path where it is and making a border from a strip of the lawn instead.
It's hard to tell from the pictures how wide the strip is. If it's less than half a metre you may find it difficult to get it looking 'full' as the plants all end up next to one another in a line. It looks better if there's a reasonable stagger with plants in front and behind to give a more 3 dimensional feel. It can be done in less but I wouldn't chose that starting from scratch as you are. Again - if the gravel strip is too narrow, maybe leave it and put the border on the lawn side of the edge.
Watch out for the ivy (?) on the wall growing down into the bed as it will be harder to keep it neat as it is now with lots of lovely plants in front.
Otherwise a sunny south facing wall is a great place to make a border - it'll be lovely
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
I think the width looks OK, just keep the planting simple.
Yes, the soil will probably need breaking up a bit. And improving, depending on what you find and what you want to grow. You might eventually find it easier to use a row of actual paving slabs along the lawn edge, so that plants can flop onto it, and so you can run your mower up to the edge without going over your plants.
I think that's feasible too - plenty of scope to plant. As raisingilr says - just be aware that there could be all sorts under there, including the footings for the wall. Anything planted near the wall will have very dry conditions, so bearthat in mind when choosing your planting. You can extend the planting into the area beside the shed too - unless you have it earmarked for anything else. You still have good access to your shed on the other side too, so that won't be an issue.
Good luck with it - and if you need help with plant choices, just start a thread and you'll get plenty of suggestions
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Cheers for the advice.
The area is wide enough, around a metre minimum at a guess. No idea what's underneath, if there's a membrane then it's shot as plenty of weeds grow here.
Only one way to find out!
Weeds seed in from above Harry, so the membrane doesn't stop those, but the ground will be quite compacted and a bit sterile, so it's worth getting some well rotted manure and compost dug in once you get in there. Hopefully you won't find too many difficulties along the way- but have a pickaxe handy just in case !
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Couple up follow up questions.
What type of compost would be best for adding to this?
Given the time of year, is it best to just get it all ready and wait for spring, giving time for the soil to improve over winter?
Any recommended guides for exactly how to go about the prep would be handy.
Not sure how I'll get rid of all the chips either. Can redistribute some to the back of the garden where there's a hollow.
Last edited: 26 August 2017 00:01:49
Any type of compost. I'm assuming you don't have your own home made compost (which would be perfect) so would need to buy it. The stuff sold as 'multi-purpose' is usually going fairly cheap at this time of year and would be fine. Composted manure is sold in bags in most garden centres and DIY places, composted bark would also be fine. The only time to be careful is if you have lime free soil and were thinking of planting something that hates lime (azaleas, for example) in which case you'd need to specifically go for 'ericaceous' compost at least in the relevant part of the bed.
Don't use un-composted bark chips (often sold as play bark) at this stage. They are great as a surface mulch for the bed once the plants are in but they will take some time to rot down so the soil fertility won't be boosted in the short term, which is what you need. Never put fresh manure on the garden - it needs to compost for at least 6 months.
As to timing, see what the soil is like when you get down to it. If it's not really heavy clay or bedrock and if you can get a fork into it to turn it over and incorporate the compost, then early autumn is a great time to get new plants in - better than spring, especially with the dry springs we often seem to be getting now.
If your soil is in a really bad way then it may be better to wait - post some photos of what you have if you're not sure, but basically if you can get a fork in it then it's probably better to get on with it.
Scrape the chippings up with a shovel into a wheel barrow and put them into the empty compost bags and store them. They'll come in handy at some point, for refreshing the area by the shed, or making a new path somewhere or digging in to soil if you decide to grow some lavender or mulching your new alpine plants, or covering the surface of your pots .... Endlessly handy stuff
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
If you have clay soil I'd recommend adding 1 bag of well rotted manure (the pre-bagged stuff from garden centres and places like Wickes is perfect if you don't have local sources) per metre and rotovating or digging the chippings directly into the soil (after removing the membrane, if there is one) as this will improve drainage which all plants will appreciate. First thing is to take a fork to it and see what the soil is like underneath. Once prepared, lay another couple of inches of manure over the surface to keep the weeds down and the worms will take this down over the winter. Come spring and you will have ideal conditions for planting.
If you find the path has a hardcore base, post back as that would need a different solution.
Absolutely knackered now. Patchy tarpaulin removed, the worst of the chips out. I did notice some roots that I think are from some shrubs over the wall in the neighbour's garden but nothing too severe I don't think.
Soil seems sandy to me, not much bother getting a fork through it anyway. Just how much of the chips should I aim to get out? There's still quite a lot in there as you can see.
Dig it in and plant things that like warm sunny, dry conditions and free draining soil
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”