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Garden layout

English_girl_in_FranceEnglish_girl_in_France Posts: 108
in Garden design
Hello! So I have been busy clearing some areas for in my garden. The first is to make way for a flower bed and the second forms vegetable patch. However whilst I have been clearing the areas (have just been digging up the weeds then putting cardboard down to stop the weeds coming up and then a layer or compost/ earth. However, there for my flower bed appears to be quite watery (we have had a bit of rain) and the area under my vegetable patch has lots of big rocks. Not sure if I'm putting them in the wrong place? 
I planted a crepe myrtle (lagerstroernia indica?) And a calluna vulgaris in the flower bed about a week ago and they both seem to be going brown, I'm wondering if it is due to lack of drainage? There is a massive mint plant as well in this area which I dont know whether or not to get rid of. Will probably do a separate post for that though 😅 
I will post my garden plan and some pics underneath! 
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  • English_girl_in_FranceEnglish_girl_in_France Posts: 108

  • English_girl_in_FranceEnglish_girl_in_France Posts: 108

  • English_girl_in_FranceEnglish_girl_in_France Posts: 108
    English_girl_in_France said:

    The plants are in between the mint and the fir trees 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I can't see anything wrong with the heather. 
    I've no experience of the myrtle as it wouldn't survive here. 

    Heathers do need good drainage and plenty of sun to be at their best. Acidic, or at least decent level neutral soil for that type. 
    Mint can be very rampant, so most people keep it potted.
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • English_girl_in_FranceEnglish_girl_in_France Posts: 108
    @Fairygirl thanks! How do you know what type of soil you have? It gets some sun where I have put it but not that much. Do you think it's better to move it or will it annoy it if I move it? It's still small, so should be easy! 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    You can get testing kits at GCs, although I don't know what you would have in your area.
    The alternative is to see what other people are growing in your area. If there are Acers, Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Camellias, Pieris etc, then that's ideal :)
    It probably won't matter too much if it doesn't get full sun, but a west facing site is fine if you don't have a south facing one. As long as there's nothing too hefty blocking the sun too much it'll be fine. 

    The browning on the flower stems is just the natural colour if that's what you were worried about. The whole stem will go brown as the flowers die off.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • nick615nick615 Posts: 1,487
    There aren't many parts of la belle France without English ex-pats.  Why not look up a few of them if you can?  Local knowledge is the best.  If you've got a local 'marche' or market, keep your ears open for an English accent.  A cup of coffee will probably do the trick.
  • rachelQrtJHBjbrachelQrtJHBjb Posts: 819
    The RHS have been running a trial of Lagerstroemia indica for a coupe of years, due to finish next summer. The plants in the trial beds looked, for the most part, healthy last year. Unfortunately, as the trial has not yet ended, the performance of the various plants and the opinions of the trial forum group are not available yet. In the meantime, here is the link to the RHS general page for this plant. https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/100448/Lagerstroemia-indica/Details

    Also, I see from your design that you mention a cave. Do you know what the local stone is? This could give us a pointer as to your soil pH e.g. if it's limestone I would expect the soil to be alkaline.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    That's a very good idea @rachelQrtJHBjb. I'm slightly intrigued about the cave anyway!
    What will you use it for @English_girl_in_France?
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • BenCottoBenCotto Posts: 4,718
    A cayve or a carve? Bats in one, bottles in the other.

    You might want to get rid of the mint but the plant may well have other ideas. Ours made sporadic curtain calls up to 15 years after being removed.

    For better advice I would like to see a scale plan and more photos. Where is your house and is your vegetable plot just twice the size of the compost bin? My immediate reaction would be to consider whether to keep the fir trees which are often just uninteresting, monotonous slabs of dark green. Forsythias divide opinions too; there are other shrubs offering better year round interest.

    Is that a table and two chairs in the top right corner? If so, how does it link in with the two patios? That seems disjointed to me and I would opt for a single seating area maybe with a built in barbecue. I would give thought to sun and shade, evening light, the number of people you’re likely to entertain and distance from the house. 


    Rutland, England
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