Assuming that came up with a spade, its nothing to worry about at all. Soil characteristic you need to give most thought to is whether its going to hold lots of water and nutrients or if its sandy and free draining. Your garden is probably mostly the same but you can find pockets of other type. Is, ours is dry as a desert, but one bed is a bit more clay and holds water Better. Get a rake and sieve to deal with rocks.
The palm trachycarpus might be best in a pot for a few years, its so small, it could be lost in a bad winter...small pot can come inside or garage or shed for a few worst weather weeks.
Best of luck with your project... I'm not sure Washingtonia robusta will survive where you are without specialist care.. it's not really for those new to tropical gardening, but if you want to see a mature specimen.. this link will show you one in south London, where they survive.. they are best suited only to the most mild parts of UK..
For bamboo consider Fargesia Rufa.. 'Green Panda' or 'Campbell' are noted varieties.. it grows well at Alnwick in Northumberland.. and importantly, it isn't invasive at the root..
You should also consider dwarf Gunnera for that small garden, rather than the usual type..
What do you honk of this for the pond layout? Slightly smaller than before. The line string at the bottom of the picture is where the decking will end from the house. In front of this will be more planting & posibly some plant screening at the edge of the deck to section it off
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However as I get closer to the house below the topsoil the ground underneath is full of stones quite close to the surface....,
What do I do here? Do I have to dig it all out and replace with topsoil or shall I just add more topsoil in top of what she existing?
thank you
The acuba will massively outgrow that spot.
The palm trachycarpus might be best in a pot for a few years, its so small, it could be lost in a bad winter...small pot can come inside or garage or shed for a few worst weather weeks.
https://www.google.com/maps/@51.4174955,-0.2172454,3a,75y,50.25h,92.47t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s1ZG3TVVgwoMH9lxyDfBnPg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
For bamboo consider Fargesia Rufa.. 'Green Panda' or 'Campbell' are noted varieties.. it grows well at Alnwick in Northumberland.. and importantly, it isn't invasive at the root..
You should also consider dwarf Gunnera for that small garden, rather than the usual type..
ive just put it in. Should I take it out now and move it to another spot on its own? Or can that be done later as it grows?
picked up a few more today