I have Canna Lilies, big purple leaves like banana trees and red flowers. Based on all your advice I'll keep the cow manure for the new unplanted beds as at our altitude it takes a good year to rot down also with the middens being over 10 feet high this seems to slow down the rotting process, but would take up too much good grass land to spread it thinner. However a good few inches in my garden over the winter seems to do the trick. So only 120m2 of grass to dig up, if only I could clone myself🤔 Maybe I'll add some photos of Glen Shee this winter on the photo thread whilst skiing if there is any nice days.
A little tip. I can see you are very enthusiast about your new garden, but don’t try to do too much all at once, it’s bloody hard work, I can vouch for that😀. The digging of the beds is ok, but the tending of it all afterwards is back breaking, time consuming and sometimes I just feel like giving it all up and putting it back to grass.
Unless you have xxx amount of pounds spare it’s a constant round of seed sowing, pricking out, potting on, and with a summer like this, potting on again. Do a patch at a time, pace yourself.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
I have more plans than time, energy and money can allow. I have already had to shelve so many other plans this year as one has to live and have at least the odd afternoon off after work, haha. I just wish the year was longer, would love to get so many other jobs done before the winter comes on, alas as you say, one must pace oneself in order not to get totally fed up with the whole lot and trust me I've come close more than a few times. Very sound advice.
Once it becomes a chore(which mine is getting that way) the enjoyment goes out of it, then it becomes a task, and that’s not good. I’m fortunate that I have a very good undergardener, bless him, he cuts all the lawns, edges, sees to the compost and digs any holes I need. He’s put his foot down about digging new beds😀
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
When he's putting his foot down Lyn - put a spade in his hand .... Lyn's right - it can easily become a chore. I've made several gardens from scratch, and renovated one, but it gets harder and harder. I actually enjoy the creating and building bit, but it takes longer as you get past 27, and I injured my shoulder earlier this year which has made it harder to do things I wanted to do. I understand how frustrating it often is. You have to get some pleasure from it as well, but it's quite difficult when your vision doesn't match your budget or your manpower! You're probably right about the manure. Maybe you could try making a couple of smaller heaps, and cover them, to get them cooking and give you a bit of a head start. If you can post a couple of photos too, people will offer ideas or solutions. Usually, it's easiest to start with areas near the house - especially ones you can see regularly from indoors, as it keeps motivation up and provides views in winter. When you can't see the snow covered hills for the clag that is...
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Oh my, where do I get started with photo, you don't know what you are letting yourself in for if you let me think I can post pictures and have other people's opinions, what a treat. I spent a few years doing nothing in the garden while I brought in over two hundred tonnes of soil, some from the farm and some by lorry load, all that time not actually doing any gardening as it all felt completely out of my depth. Not a single flower, tree, shrub or even blade of grass existed during this time. Where does one even start, very daunting. So I spent ages asking people and reading some gardening books, but it all just confused me even more. In the end a relation who was staying took me to a garden shop and bought me a load of plants for my birthday. Made a border in front of garden, and that was that, the start of it all. Since then that bed got removed and plants relocated. More plants bought, over 70 trees planted, 2000 bare root trees planted for hedge, each one anally planted as if it were a precious orchid, that was a very painful process. It took about 15 days, 8 hours each day, I shan't bore you with the gruesome details, but suffice to say I rather self mutilate then ever do that again, self inflicted though. Anyway the hedge is the best thing now, only two years later some sections are over 10 feet tall, (I putbthst diwn to the fastidious nature by which they were planted🤗) with 11 species for wildlife, it's now like our own little oasis, well that's how it feels to me. I'm a sucker for punishment, i commit to things and then realise how much work is involved to actually get it done, but it gets done in the end. I have 10 tonne of walling stone out there waiting on me to build small wall for all the borders and drive. Two pallets down, 7 to go but I doubt I'll get it finished this year. I still have 100m2 of paving to lay on top of concrete pad a layed in July, no way that will even get started. And that 120m2 of grass I have to dig up, the thought of it is giving me nightmares. I'm fit and strong, but it's still bloody back breaking, a d it will take days. But I just have to do what I can manage, if I can just accept that with both the hard and soft landscaping it will take a few years, especially doing it completely on my own, then that might give me some sanity. I might take a few photos of what my garden looks like now and if any one wants to offer some constructive critism then that might be useful. The biggest border has plants that were planted without much thought as they needed to get in the ground in an enargency, after cows got into garden and trampled front garden so they got removed to their final resting place but I have plans to rejig this autumn or spring. The others have had my very ameture design but happy for comments. Any other comments for what anyone thinks I should do with the remaining untouched sections will again be happilybreceived. Will post tomorrow. Nite nite
A garden is not like a statue or an oil painting, it is never finished.
I have been working in this garden for 34 years and I still have nearly as many projects to complete as you!
There have been changes and revisions, as I have gathered new ideas, learned about which plants would thrive and which not, found new enthusiasms and new plants to love.
Now, for the first time, I have a clear overall idea of how I want things to look and am gradually working towards it, but it will always be a work in progress.
It helps to start with a small patch that is easily seen, so that you get some encouragement, and to take photos as you go along, so that when you feel disheartened, and we all have days like that, you can see how much you have actually achieved. It is easy to forget how it looked at first
Hi again. Been out taking photos this evening, just in the door. Freezing out there now. First photo is from hill behind house looking down just to give some perspective how my garden sits in surrounding landscape.
I was going to post photos of my beds but all photos taken are over 6mb which this forum won't allow so it will have to be some general photos that are less than 6mb. This one is looking toward Dundee direction and captures some of the infamous hedge.
This photo faces hill I took first photo from. You can just about see on the right and left side where I established two new beds in April this year. This is the start of my grand design to have beds the full length of the drive. About 2m x 30m each side. This is where I want to dig up all the grass and put down manure ready for planting next year, not that I plan on getting it all planted next year. But I would be really happy if I get the prep done by mid October when I have a week off work.
Posts
Unless you have xxx amount of pounds spare it’s a constant round of seed sowing, pricking out, potting on, and with a summer like this, potting on again.
Do a patch at a time, pace yourself.
I’m fortunate that I have a very good undergardener, bless him, he cuts all the lawns, edges, sees to the compost and digs any holes I need. He’s put his foot down about digging new beds😀
Lyn's right - it can easily become a chore. I've made several gardens from scratch, and renovated one, but it gets harder and harder. I actually enjoy the creating and building bit, but it takes longer as you get past 27, and I injured my shoulder earlier this year which has made it harder to do things I wanted to do. I understand how frustrating it often is.
You have to get some pleasure from it as well, but it's quite difficult when your vision doesn't match your budget or your manpower!
You're probably right about the manure. Maybe you could try making a couple of smaller heaps, and cover them, to get them cooking and give you a bit of a head start. If you can post a couple of photos too, people will offer ideas or solutions. Usually, it's easiest to start with areas near the house - especially ones you can see regularly from indoors, as it keeps motivation up and provides views in winter.
When you can't see the snow covered hills for the clag that is...
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...