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Brand new garden - dumb mistakes?
DirtyFingernails
Posts: 14
Hi folks, We're creating a wildlife-friendly garden on a new build estate, so doing everything from scratch starting from blank turf.
I was wondering if others who have started brand new gardens would care to share the mistakes you made? Or, more positively, the smartest things you did.
I think my biggest error so far was not successfully persuading my partner to let me buy several tonnes of horse manure to mulch over our horrible heavy clay soil when we dug the beds. Instead he insisted we put down bark chippings, which have made a massive claggy mess and not really broken down well at all.
The best thing so far, other than putting in a pond, was digging in and potting up about 200 spring bulbs gifted by the in-laws, so at least we have some colour and joy in our first spring.
I was wondering if others who have started brand new gardens would care to share the mistakes you made? Or, more positively, the smartest things you did.
I think my biggest error so far was not successfully persuading my partner to let me buy several tonnes of horse manure to mulch over our horrible heavy clay soil when we dug the beds. Instead he insisted we put down bark chippings, which have made a massive claggy mess and not really broken down well at all.
The best thing so far, other than putting in a pond, was digging in and potting up about 200 spring bulbs gifted by the in-laws, so at least we have some colour and joy in our first spring.
2
Posts
I planted over 400 daffodils. It's quite a big garden in SW France. It was just a large grassed area. Now it has roses, shrubs, bulbs and perennials. Still ongoing, been there 2 years.
It's not instant though - making any garden from a blank slate. I've done it several times, and I'd probably do it differently if I was to move again and have another one, but getting the growing medium is one of the most important things.
My advice/thoughts are as follows:
Don't go mad with ideas/planting right away. Take some time to plan the various areas you want and need. You've got your pond and those bulbs, but don't be frightened to move the bulbs if they don't suit your eventual beds/borders, rather than trying to work with them where they are.
Plants will die - often because the site, soil, or your climate doesn't suit, so always be prepared to do something else, and get as much info as possible on a new plant before buying.
Ask questions if you're unsure- that's what the smart folk do
I spend a lot of time re arranging areas. Not because they're unsuitable, or aren't working - but because I get bored and need a project! When I was working and running a home, my garden was designed to suit me. Once I retired, I realised how low maintenance it was, so always create the garden to suit your circumstances.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Take your time and do one section at a time. Don't try and create a whole garden in one year. Better to do one area/bed at a time and do it well.
Oh and don't fight nature. Go with the conditions you've got. Don't plant things in full sun that like shade and vice versa. Don't plant acid loving plants in alkaline soil, you'll just end up constantly having to look after them. There are plenty of plants for any situation, go with ones that will be happy. Sounds obvious but you see some very oddly positioned plants. Including on my own garden as I bought things on a whim many years ago!
Looked good but instead of having 1 of each plant die during the first winter, they died in groups of 3.
Certain plants like Rudbeckia tend to grow and expand inside a few years. I bought 2 Rudbeckia plants in 2021 and learned that they quadrupled in space inside 2 years. I dug one out this winter.
My biggest mistake was to ignore that one particular weed that appeared in 2017. It took over half of the lawn area inside 3 years. I had to take out the entire lawn and dug out each single root of that stuff. Since then, I remove all weeds and check what they are.
I ♥ my garden.