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Terrible Garden, Low Budget
CraigH2
Posts: 2
Hi guys n gals,
Im new here, I have seen a few posts about people on a low budget asking for advice how best to tackle their gardens.
Thanks
0
Posts
The front garden gets quite a bit of light, its recently had all of the rubbish removed and overgrown plants removed, I have no idea what tree it is im afraid.
I don't think it's terrible, just a bit of a challenge. The retaining walls look good and you won't have a problem with poor drainage. You'll be able to see all the plants from your windows. I'd add some terracing with scaffolding boards as these are economical and you then get a series of flat tiers to plant in.
I would not worry to much about getting the roots out at this time I would treat these by drilling four or five holes about two inches deep in the tops and then fill them with roundup weed killer every few weeks for a couple of months this will soak down into the root system and kill it then in time the stump will start to rot and you will find the roots much easier to dig out, I have done exactly this on a number of occasions and its worked fine.
If your on a budget and want to get some cover I would go for periwinkles, geraniums and maybe some variegated ivy's all ground cover and fairly cheap and tough plants. Then in time as you get the old tree roots out you can start to fill the space with better plants / shrubs.
Good idea, G.Boy. Epsom salts in the holes also works and is even cheaper. Vinca is a great ground cover. Like the geraniums you suggested, it isn't fussy even if it's competing with the tree roots to begin with.
I'd just point out that when Gardeners Boy and Gillian refer to geraniums, they mean the hardy geraniums that will grow and spread from year to year, not the tender pelargoniums that some garden centres are still selling as geraniums - they are for potting and bedding and have to be taken indoors in the winter as the frost kills them.
http://www.vernonplants.com/hardy-geraniums/hardy-singles
Good luck
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
CH2 Dove is correct and apologies for any confusion
.
Looking at the pictures if you can afford it and the grounds not to bad along the fence line again Ives are good and evergreen the small birds like it and its flowers a good food source for insects, also maybe the native honey suckle.
Getting some cover on the fences will make a difference and depending on weather the next few months is ideal planting time.
Not your fault Gardeners Boy - it's the fault of the garden centres who label plants wrongly
How are beginners supposed to know?
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Lovely aspect with retaining wall plus terracing down those stairs
Good luck
Hi Craig and welcome.
I agree with all of the above,esp Gillian. No garden is terrible, but some are challenging. I'd rather have a challenging garden than no garden at all.
Keep us posted.
An awful lot depends on how tight the budget is, doesn't it! And how much physical strength you have. I think that it has the potential to be a smashing garden, but probably not this year. The first job is to get your soil free of all that rubbish, including the tree roots and personally, I would get rid of the remaining tree, too, un!less it is a very pretty one.
Next, you could probably do with improving the soil by digging in muck and compost. If you are near stables, the owners often give away muck; near a beach you can collect and rot down seaweed and even in a city, the council may sell composted material cheaply.
The scaffolding boards sound like a great idea to make terraces and are much cheaper than sleepers. Once you get to this stage, you can start thinking about how you want it to look as a mature garden.
While you are doing all this, take time to observe how much light and sun it gets, if you get a lot of frost, whether the wind howls across the site. Look at other nearby gardens to see what grows well and what you like. Online, you can check out what plants do well in your conditions.
Many plants that cost a fortune at garden centres are sold quite reasonably in supermarkets and seeds are an economical way to raise all sorts of plants.
Before long, it will be your pride and joy!