Forum home› Problem solving
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Need some help and ideas please.

gerald.kinggerald.king Posts: 12
in Problem solving
Hi everyone, having recently moved into a new house and spending last summer removing overgrown hedges from my back garden, i was looking for some inspiration as to what to do with this bedded area?

The previous owner had not really maintained it and i have removed the majority of the overgrown weeds.  I want to rejuvenate the area and add some colour and variation as it is the view from the kitchen window.  







I'm not an experienced gardener but want to start with this challenge.

Any advice or ideas are greatly appreciated.

Gerald

Posts

  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    What a great space to fill with plants!
    It looks quite open, but do you know how much of the day it gets the sun for?  And any idea what the soil is like (sandy, clay, wet, dry/well-drained etc? ) As it's on a slope I would guess well-drained but it's hard to tell from a picture.
    Do you want low maintenance or something that you can tweak and potter in?
    And the main question, what do you like?
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • gerald.kinggerald.king Posts: 12
    Hi Jenny,

    Yes it is open and on a quite a slope.  it gets sun for the majority of the day as the shade of the house misses it (although being in Belfast there's more rain that sun!).  

    I'm new t this but would describe the soil as clay and it does seem to drain well.

    Ideally i want something low maintenance that adds colour and keeps the weeds to a minimum, probably just because i am new to this and sure.

    i was thinking a variety of small shrubs and plants but something that lasts year on year.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    There's loads of choice for a situation like that - maybe visit your local garden centre(s) several times over the spring/summer and pick some things that look good each time, then you'll have interest over a long season.
    The small variegated hebes would work well, or maybe heathers if that's your thing. Lavenders and salvias would work if it doesn't get soggy in winter. The small variegated Euonymus do well in a range of conditions and are bright all year round.  Maybe some of the more robust rockery plants that tend to spread and cover the ground might be suitable - aubretia, arabis, that sort of thing.  You can add spring bulbs for early colour (either buy growing now or as bulbs in Autumn (the latter is a lot cheaper).



    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    I would add some hardy geraniums. Rozanne is a good one, long lasting blue flowers, will sprawl nicely down that slope and doesn't self seed. 2 or 3 of those would help to fill a lot of that space. 
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • gerald.kinggerald.king Posts: 12
    thanks Jenny & Lizzie for the suggestions.  I'll have a look at all these options to see what i like.

    should i wait till the spring time to start planting? or is this something i could start in the next couple of weeks?
  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    Hardy plants ought to be okay, especially shrubs. If the weather turns really cold, you can always throw some fleece over them and weight it down with stones.
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • gerald.kinggerald.king Posts: 12
    Update on progress it’s been a busy lockdown  :'(


Sign In or Register to comment.