Wow, such a lot to take in! Thank you all for taking time to reply. I live in the North East of England about 10 miles from the coast. I'm afraid have no idea what type of soil we have.
What size is it though, and where do you have existing borders or planting areas? That will determine where plants go, and what's viable. There's no point in trying to grow large shrubs or trees if the plot's tiny. My front garden faces NW, but the right hand side and the far end of it [front boundary] are quite sunny because of the site and lack of other nearby buildings on the western side. I have hedging all round, and various borders/planting areas. Many of the plants I mentioned are growing there, as well as in the back garden in areas that are the same aspect. I'm on clay and it's very wet here. I don't really grow anything that won't survive here, but my conditions may be different because the soil never really dries out for long periods as it does in other areas. You'd have to amend the soil if it's flooding on a regular basis, or create raised beds to counteract that. It sounds like it may be largely clay, in which case loads and loads of organic matter will help it open up and allow better drainage.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
It is approx. 15 feet x 12 feet. We are at the bottom of a cul de sac so it honestly gets virtually no sunshine. The tops of the shrubs get some, and they are the bits that blossom. We do have some bushes at the bottom of the garden that manage to keep growing (I wouldn't say thrive). However nearest the house where it floods with each heavy rainfall nothing really survives. This is the trickiest part of the garden. I will attempt to get some photographs if they will help?
Photos will help The bit of the site stays wet permanently will need amended. It becomes almost impossible to suggest viable plants otherwise, and you'll be constantly fighting with it which is very expensive a swell as frustrating. Photos will help with an ID of what you already have, and also help with suggestions which will work with the rest of your site. Many people plant shrubs beside front doors/paths etc, then spend a fortune having lights on in their front room, because they don't realise what size they make. Conifers are a favourite in this part of the world If you want fairly easy shrubs too, all that info will help. There are plenty of shrubs which will work though
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I would be concerned about the section of the garden nearest the house which constantly floods. I think I would get some experienced help in to see if you ought first to consider putting in drainage, for the sake of your house more than the garden. If you go to a local Garden Centre and buy a soil testing kit, not cheap, and test the soil from various places in your garden, you will find out the state of your soil. Ask neighbours what sort of soil they have. As your property is at the end of a cul de sac you may have inherited a lot of subsoil left over from the other houses. If when you squeeze a handful 0f wet soil in your hand it sticks together, you have clay, if it is crumbly, you have a degree of sand or grit in it. Not likely by the sound of it.
That's why I suggested raised beds earlier in that part @Joyce Goldenlily. A good bed, with appropriate prep and planting can make a big difference. It's a fairly common situation, especially when there's lots of compacted wet clay, and in a wet area, but it's possible to change it, depending on what else is around and whether anything else is causing the problem. A garage for example, without proper drainage from a downpipe. I had that in a former property. Fortunately, the garage wasn't right next to the front door
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Are you suggesting taking out the laurel, because that is what I would do?
In a previous garden, I had some laurels growing along the bottom of my long, 400 ft, back garden. They were enormous before I had them cut back to bare trunks and topped down to 15ft. They were no problem to me but affected the neighbours on each and the property on the other side of them. They looked awful for 12 months after being massacred but another 12 months and you could hardly see they had been touched they grew so quickly. Not a good choice for a small garden, close to the house. They also take all of the nutrients out of the soil and nothing will grow near them.
It looks as if there's a slight slope from the pavement down along the path at the side of the house wall. It will have nowhere to go except that soil in that wee border. If that was mine, I'd take a strip of that gravel away - about the same width as the existing border, along the path and the same along the back wall. I'd then dig that gravel into the bed, and add loads of compost, rotted manure [you can get it bagged in GCs and DIY stores] so that the soil is improved. I'd expect the soil is sour and stale if it's soaking wet and never getting cultivated. Once you've done that, and let it settle [if done now that would be later in spring] you'll have a better growing medium. I'd lift the slabs and re lay them slightly higher too, so that the border will accommodate more organic matter, but you may not be able to do that. If you wanted a softer look, you could make a curved bed instead of just widening the existing borders with the edging you have.
The two shrubs look like a Viburnum and a Hebe [possibly], but they're a bit too far away to be certain - about the Hebe anyway.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Posts
That will determine where plants go, and what's viable. There's no point in trying to grow large shrubs or trees if the plot's tiny.
My front garden faces NW, but the right hand side and the far end of it [front boundary] are quite sunny because of the site and lack of other nearby buildings on the western side. I have hedging all round, and various borders/planting areas. Many of the plants I mentioned are growing there, as well as in the back garden in areas that are the same aspect.
I'm on clay and it's very wet here. I don't really grow anything that won't survive here, but my conditions may be different because the soil never really dries out for long periods as it does in other areas.
You'd have to amend the soil if it's flooding on a regular basis, or create raised beds to counteract that. It sounds like it may be largely clay, in which case loads and loads of organic matter will help it open up and allow better drainage.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
The bit of the site stays wet permanently will need amended. It becomes almost impossible to suggest viable plants otherwise, and you'll be constantly fighting with it which is very expensive a swell as frustrating.
Photos will help with an ID of what you already have, and also help with suggestions which will work with the rest of your site. Many people plant shrubs beside front doors/paths etc, then spend a fortune having lights on in their front room, because they don't realise what size they make. Conifers are a favourite in this part of the world
If you want fairly easy shrubs too, all that info will help. There are plenty of shrubs which will work though
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
If you go to a local Garden Centre and buy a soil testing kit, not cheap, and test the soil from various places in your garden, you will find out the state of your soil. Ask neighbours what sort of soil they have. As your property is at the end of a cul de sac you may have inherited a lot of subsoil left over from the other houses. If when you squeeze a handful 0f wet soil in your hand it sticks together, you have clay, if it is crumbly, you have a degree of sand or grit in it. Not likely by the sound of it.
It's a fairly common situation, especially when there's lots of compacted wet clay, and in a wet area, but it's possible to change it, depending on what else is around and whether anything else is causing the problem.
A garage for example, without proper drainage from a downpipe. I had that in a former property. Fortunately, the garage wasn't right next to the front door
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
In a previous garden, I had some laurels growing along the bottom of my long, 400 ft, back garden. They were enormous before I had them cut back to bare trunks and topped down to 15ft. They were no problem to me but affected the neighbours on each and the property on the other side of them. They looked awful for 12 months after being massacred but another 12 months and you could hardly see they had been touched they grew so quickly.
Not a good choice for a small garden, close to the house. They also take all of the nutrients out of the soil and nothing will grow near them.
If that was mine, I'd take a strip of that gravel away - about the same width as the existing border, along the path and the same along the back wall.
I'd then dig that gravel into the bed, and add loads of compost, rotted manure [you can get it bagged in GCs and DIY stores] so that the soil is improved. I'd expect the soil is sour and stale if it's soaking wet and never getting cultivated.
Once you've done that, and let it settle [if done now that would be later in spring] you'll have a better growing medium.
I'd lift the slabs and re lay them slightly higher too, so that the border will accommodate more organic matter, but you may not be able to do that.
If you wanted a softer look, you could make a curved bed instead of just widening the existing borders with the edging you have.
The two shrubs look like a Viburnum and a Hebe [possibly], but they're a bit too far away to be certain - about the Hebe anyway.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...