Wow - am stunned with the detailed responses here. Some really helpful feedback , thank you. See pic attached - it's atrocious! top left corner there are a pile of rocks (for some odd reason - i dont know what the previous owners had in mind) - with weeds growing out of them.
Fairy girl - yes I'd definitely want something simple that doesn't need a huge amount of maintenance. which soil are you talking about at the back addict?
Find somewhere (front or back) where theres some soil you can get at, and that doesn't come from under a hedge or big shrub (which will have sucked up so much nutrient and water that it'll be powdery and won't give u a true picture. Then do the soil test as described. That'll tell you whether your soil tends to puddle & stay wet for ages, hold moisture nicely but not get boggy, or whether it drains so fast the plants havta sup up quick or miss it entirely. There are tonnes of plants for every type of soil, so u just need to work out what you've got and ur away.
The 'aspect' thing it just working out how much sun things will get in different parts of your garden. You can work this out with a compass, or just keep an eye out on a sunny day to see wots wot. You've prob got one mega sunny side, one thats pretty cool and shady most of the time, and 2 that are a bit of both. Deep shade in usually overhung by trees etc and looks dark like in thick woods. Light shade is out of direct sunshine but not actually overhung, so light levels are better. Partial shade in either shady more than half the time but sunny the rest, or that dapply light/shade u can get thru sparse trees. Partial sun is the reverse - like maybe 70% sunny, 30% shade. Full sun is when it really bakes. Again, different plants like or need different amounts of light, so once you know roughly what you have and where, u can choose stuff accordingly.
And pH. This is whether ur acid, neutral or alkaline. Some plants really care about this so u need to know. Easiest way is litmus paper (pinched from school) or a wee soil testing kit from garden centre. U only ever do it the once - once u know, u know.
And thats the basics. Wen u see a plant label it'll tell u - how much water in the soil, how much sun on its head and pH (if it has a strong preference).
So there u go. Maybe its worth finding a neighbour with a nice garden and asking them!!!
Thanks auntie couldn't have put it better myself So Inspiration get sausage making! Take a look at your adjacent neighbours and see if theres anything you like. If they can grow it you can too.
Why is your hedge so much higher one side than the other? Is it different?
oh goodness - right i will get on with the science experiment tonight - thanks for the tips. my neighbours have beautiful gardens. puts me to shame!
i dont really want plants etc at the front though - something low maintenance - maybe a design with gravel/stones?
Well the hedge on the left is shared with our neighbour who i think prefers to keep it high. The one in front and on the right is ours - they used to be just as high but we took them down because it felt v claustrophobic!
In that case why not just a small specimen tree in the middle?
Make a ring of gravel round it having underplanted it with bulbs perhaps. Not daffs cos they just look messy when finished but crocus would be nice and you don't have to do anything to them. You could have spring and autumn flowering ones to extend the interest.
Either go for a small tree that is amazing at one particular point in the year or one that gives you something to look at all year round. I planted a Cornus mas varieagata in a similiar sized space. It has blossom in the late winter early spring, beautiful white and green leaves follow that and in the autumn has cherry like red fruits. Only bare for 2/3 months of the year. The tree reaches about 15ft but takes an age to get there and maintenance? Zero.
Once you've done that you could get artistic with more gravel or pebbles or boulders...maybe some of those rocks in the corner...Some kind of ornamental feature perhaps, birdbath, sculpture, whatever. And always keep the hedge neat and trimmed...makes such a difference.
Posts
Wow - am stunned with the detailed responses here. Some really helpful feedback , thank you. See pic attached - it's atrocious! top left corner there are a pile of rocks (for some odd reason - i dont know what the previous owners had in mind) - with weeds growing out of them.
Fairy girl - yes I'd definitely want something simple that doesn't need a huge amount of maintenance. which soil are you talking about at the back addict?
Thanks everyone
Ok, first things first...
Find somewhere (front or back) where theres some soil you can get at, and that doesn't come from under a hedge or big shrub (which will have sucked up so much nutrient and water that it'll be powdery and won't give u a true picture. Then do the soil test as described. That'll tell you whether your soil tends to puddle & stay wet for ages, hold moisture nicely but not get boggy, or whether it drains so fast the plants havta sup up quick or miss it entirely. There are tonnes of plants for every type of soil, so u just need to work out what you've got and ur away.
The 'aspect' thing it just working out how much sun things will get in different parts of your garden. You can work this out with a compass, or just keep an eye out on a sunny day to see wots wot. You've prob got one mega sunny side, one thats pretty cool and shady most of the time, and 2 that are a bit of both. Deep shade in usually overhung by trees etc and looks dark like in thick woods. Light shade is out of direct sunshine but not actually overhung, so light levels are better. Partial shade in either shady more than half the time but sunny the rest, or that dapply light/shade u can get thru sparse trees. Partial sun is the reverse - like maybe 70% sunny, 30% shade. Full sun is when it really bakes. Again, different plants like or need different amounts of light, so once you know roughly what you have and where, u can choose stuff accordingly.
And pH. This is whether ur acid, neutral or alkaline. Some plants really care about this so u need to know. Easiest way is litmus paper (pinched from school) or a wee soil testing kit from garden centre. U only ever do it the once - once u know, u know.
And thats the basics. Wen u see a plant label it'll tell u - how much water in the soil, how much sun on its head and pH (if it has a strong preference).
So there u go. Maybe its worth finding a neighbour with a nice garden and asking them!!!
Thanks auntie couldn't have put it better myself
So Inspiration get sausage making! Take a look at your adjacent neighbours and see if theres anything you like. If they can grow it you can too.
Why is your hedge so much higher one side than the other? Is it different?
oh goodness - right i will get on with the science experiment tonight - thanks for the tips. my neighbours have beautiful gardens. puts me to shame!
i dont really want plants etc at the front though - something low maintenance - maybe a design with gravel/stones?
Well the hedge on the left is shared with our neighbour who i think prefers to keep it high. The one in front and on the right is ours - they used to be just as high but we took them down because it felt v claustrophobic!
Thanks,
In that case why not just a small specimen tree in the middle?
Make a ring of gravel round it having underplanted it with bulbs perhaps. Not daffs cos they just look messy when finished but crocus would be nice and you don't have to do anything to them. You could have spring and autumn flowering ones to extend the interest.
Either go for a small tree that is amazing at one particular point in the year or one that gives you something to look at all year round. I planted a Cornus mas varieagata in a similiar sized space. It has blossom in the late winter early spring, beautiful white and green leaves follow that and in the autumn has cherry like red fruits. Only bare for 2/3 months of the year. The tree reaches about 15ft but takes an age to get there and maintenance? Zero.
Once you've done that you could get artistic with more gravel or pebbles or boulders...maybe some of those rocks in the corner...Some kind of ornamental feature perhaps, birdbath, sculpture, whatever. And always keep the hedge neat and trimmed...makes such a difference.
Heres a few ideas to play around with...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/whirlpool/509240981/lightbox/
Maybe no tree and just a bit of topiary. Scroll down to the one with the box balls...bit of maintenance but not much
http://www.litchfieldgardens.co.uk/spaces-and-styles.php
Bit more edgey perhaps...
http://www.timmackley.co.uk/recent-projects/edwardian-house-front-garden
Use elements from this
http://flowergardengirl.co.uk/2012/06/08/quarry-tile-front-path-london/