Thanks for your suggestions. I've actually been looking at fence paint colours on the B & Q website. Quite like the dark red shades.
Those beds in the picture actually had just been planted with veg seeds, so there is brocolli, cabbage and onions coming up there now. The picture is a couple of months old. It was just that corner I need to fill where I'm going to lift the slabs and put raised beds, although I might want to put some more veg in them as well. But if it's shady from afternoon onwards, not sure they'd do well.
I'm with holly-hock on this. Making a garden is not an overnight job, contrary the impressions given by TV makeover shows. I wouldn't bother trying to shift heavy slabs, or do anything like that to begin with.
Just tidy up; remove the weeds in the paving; and plant some pretty annuals to make the place look nice for the rest of this Summer.
HH mentioned several flowers (bedding, wallflowers, forget-me-nots) and didn't mention vegetables. Personally, I'd have a lot more flowers than veg. In my experience, it's more economical to buy vegetables from a grocers. This is especially true if you haven't grown veg from seed before. The success rate may be low. But that's up to you.
I also agree with HH in saying that there should be plenty of bedding annuals for sale in garden centres right now, or quite soon, simply because garden centres have not sold a lot of bedding, due to the very poor weather and absence of customers. They simply have to get rid of bedding, and reducing prices is the best way.
I'd also reinstate the playhouse somewhere. Catering for your little girl and making her happy has to be one of your garden's main purposes.
And speaking of holly-hocks, I wonder if it's not to late to sow some holly-hock and foxglove seeds in little trays (to be potted up to flower next year). They're both tall and colourful flowers, and might look nice growing against the fencing, if they would grow there (holly-hocks like some sun).
Hi insomnia, just seen your photos and noticed the slabs your going to take up, had them in my garden, they are solid, the square ones are heavy, the larger ones, the rectangle ones, and i see at least one, weigh at ton, if your going to move it "walk it",
Before you go for the red paint.....it will make your garden seem smaller and not very relaxed. Think about the paler blues and greens. They will expand and brighten your plot. They also show off theplants that you grow in front of them.
Thanks for all your plant suggestions! I have wrote them all down next to me here on my pad. I agree that it all takes time, but I see such wonderful pictures of what everyone else has done, and I get a bit carried away. Time to put my realistic head on.
Gary, when you say 'sow some holly-hock and foxglove seeds in little trays (to be potted up to flower next year)' do you mean indoors, or to start off outdoors, as I have no greenhouse, and it would be a windowsill job? And Jess has now decided she no longer wants to keep her playhouse as it gets too many spiders in it!!
pash, I only lifted 2 today, the smaller square ones, and I did 'walk' them. Much easier. They weren't too bad actually. I put them right in the corner and moved my 're-potting' table up there.
Joe, not sure about green, as some parts have gone green anyway, and I'm not keen, but hadn't thought of blue. Hmm.
I'm a huge lover of roses, which I'm sure some sorts do well in the shade. How easy are they to maintain?
Been tidying up out there most the day between visitors (they never come when it's tipping down with rain), and got it looking a bit more workable. Next jobs are tackling the weeds and de-rubble all the soil.
Posts
Yes, I will. I'm going to take up all those slabs on the left side of the post anyway, and use that area for raised beds I've decided now.
Hi Hollie-Hock!
Thanks for your suggestions. I've actually been looking at fence paint colours on the B & Q website. Quite like the dark red shades.
Those beds in the picture actually had just been planted with veg seeds, so there is brocolli, cabbage and onions coming up there now. The picture is a couple of months old. It was just that corner I need to fill where I'm going to lift the slabs and put raised beds, although I might want to put some more veg in them as well. But if it's shady from afternoon onwards, not sure they'd do well.
I'm with holly-hock on this. Making a garden is not an overnight job, contrary the impressions given by TV makeover shows. I wouldn't bother trying to shift heavy slabs, or do anything like that to begin with.
Just tidy up; remove the weeds in the paving; and plant some pretty annuals to make the place look nice for the rest of this Summer.
HH mentioned several flowers (bedding, wallflowers, forget-me-nots) and didn't mention vegetables. Personally, I'd have a lot more flowers than veg. In my experience, it's more economical to buy vegetables from a grocers. This is especially true if you haven't grown veg from seed before. The success rate may be low. But that's up to you.
I also agree with HH in saying that there should be plenty of bedding annuals for sale in garden centres right now, or quite soon, simply because garden centres have not sold a lot of bedding, due to the very poor weather and absence of customers. They simply have to get rid of bedding, and reducing prices is the best way.
I'd also reinstate the playhouse somewhere. Catering for your little girl and making her happy has to be one of your garden's main purposes.
And speaking of holly-hocks, I wonder if it's not to late to sow some holly-hock and foxglove seeds in little trays (to be potted up to flower next year). They're both tall and colourful flowers, and might look nice growing against the fencing, if they would grow there (holly-hocks like some sun).
Hi insomnia, just seen your photos and noticed the slabs your going to take up, had them in my garden, they are solid, the square ones are heavy, the larger ones, the rectangle ones, and i see at least one, weigh at ton, if your going to move it "walk it",
ps, dont do it with your girl in the garden, in case it falls
Insomnia,
Before you go for the red paint.....it will make your garden seem smaller and not very relaxed. Think about the paler blues and greens. They will expand and brighten your plot. They also show off theplants that you grow in front of them.
Joe
Thanks for all your plant suggestions! I have wrote them all down next to me here on my pad. I agree that it all takes time, but I see such wonderful pictures of what everyone else has done, and I get a bit carried away. Time to put my realistic head on.
Gary, when you say 'sow some holly-hock and foxglove seeds in little trays (to be potted up to flower next year)' do you mean indoors, or to start off outdoors, as I have no greenhouse, and it would be a windowsill job? And Jess has now decided she no longer wants to keep her playhouse as it gets too many spiders in it!!
pash, I only lifted 2 today, the smaller square ones, and I did 'walk' them. Much easier. They weren't too bad actually. I put them right in the corner and moved my 're-potting' table up there.
Joe, not sure about green, as some parts have gone green anyway, and I'm not keen, but hadn't thought of blue. Hmm.
I'm a huge lover of roses, which I'm sure some sorts do well in the shade. How easy are they to maintain?
Been tidying up out there most the day between visitors (they never come when it's tipping down with rain), and got it looking a bit more workable. Next jobs are tackling the weeds and de-rubble all the soil.
And maybe Jess would like her own little patch to grow stuff in - that's how I got started
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.