I left a foot gap behind the summerhouse and they slot in one after the other! SO pleased to finally have them out of my sight. Summerhouse is the next to get painted, and I need to decide what to do with the wee gap to the right hand side of it...!
Definitely a lot of progress has been made, yay you!
Re. your soil, it's easy enough to improve it with soil improver, compost, or manure. Just flog bags at it. But it would be good to know what type of soil it is to begin with (acidic, neutral, alkaline) to help with getting the right plants. A link on how to do it DIY: https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-test-soil-acidity-alkalinity-without-a-test-kit-1388584 . And then is it free draining (guess it'll be with all the rubble), loamy, sandy, clay?
Re. lawn, it can be tricky. Just go with the seeds for now and wait. Things are happening now in the garden but it is still early days for the real Spring to kick in, it's still a little too chilly.
Re. planting, it will depend on your soil type. Mediterranean plants tend to do well in poor soil, but you've gone for a more cottage feel already. Maybe plants that are shallow rooted as well? Bulbs seem not to care about what soil you have, and you have bulbs for all seasons - provided you can plant them deep enough without getting to the hard core, of course.
I would enlarge the border all the way to your patio area, may as well have plants all the way rather than a thin strip of grass in-between.
Just keep an eye on your rhododendron, which needs acidic soil or ericaceous compost, as it may fry on your south-facing border (if your aspect is as I think).
For the shadier areas, there are plenty of cottage style plants you can use: digitalis, bergenia, hellebores, anemones, dicentra, ferns etc.
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Re. your soil, it's easy enough to improve it with soil improver, compost, or manure. Just flog bags at it. But it would be good to know what type of soil it is to begin with (acidic, neutral, alkaline) to help with getting the right plants. A link on how to do it DIY: https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-test-soil-acidity-alkalinity-without-a-test-kit-1388584 . And then is it free draining (guess it'll be with all the rubble), loamy, sandy, clay?
Re. lawn, it can be tricky. Just go with the seeds for now and wait. Things are happening now in the garden but it is still early days for the real Spring to kick in, it's still a little too chilly.
Re. planting, it will depend on your soil type. Mediterranean plants tend to do well in poor soil, but you've gone for a more cottage feel already. Maybe plants that are shallow rooted as well? Bulbs seem not to care about what soil you have, and you have bulbs for all seasons - provided you can plant them deep enough without getting to the hard core, of course.
That was my two cents