Advice for a beginner in a new build property
Good afternoon everybody! As the thread title suggests, I'm a bit of a beginner when it comes to gardening however, I've decided now is the time to inject a bit of life into our garden. I live in a new build home which has been established for approx. 10 years. The ground quality isn't good, the site was once home to a textiles factory and when we've dug down into the ground before it gets quite solid and compacted fairly quickly. We've also uncovered whole chunks of brick from the previous factory building! The front is north facing and for 95% of the day does not get direct sunlight, the back garden is south facing and gets the sun pretty much all day long. The very back corner however, gets quite water logged and can end up in the shade by late afternoon due to the neighbours fencing. Does anyone have any ideas about where I could possibly start e.g. plants etc. that like the conditions described, where to start turning a big grassy space into something a bit more floral etc. At the front of the house I would like something that can grow up a trellis or some kind of support as there is a bit of wall that you can see from our living room and I often think that would be far nicer to look out on if there were flowers but, I don't know if that's possible given that area is in the shade for most of the day. Any advice that anyone can offer would be very much appreciated. Thank you, Lisa.
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Do you have any photos?
I do, I'm in the process of trying to get the IT to co-operate though so as soon as that happens I'll post them. Thank you!
This picture is of my back garden - the shed doesn't actually live there! It's temporarily there as a larger one is being built out of shot by my hubby so eventually that will return to just a grassy space. The corner to the right of the tree is where a lot of water gathers and it can get quite shady in the late afternoon.
This is at the front of the house. It's this wall that could be quite nice with something floral to look at, you can make out the start of the living room window to the right of the picture. As you can see the ground isn't very good here so I have no idea what sort of plant/flower would like it in this space.
Hi Lisa and welcome to the forum. We're mostly a bit mad but quite helpful most of the time.
How about digging out a pond in the damp and shady corner? Or put the shed and/or compost heaps there?
I should definitely get the bricks and any other rubbish out when possible, but I'd guess that there are an awful lot of them.
Improve the soil with lots of bulky organic matter - well-rotted manure, free for the carting from your local stables, is ideal, and eventually you'll have your own compost to use. You don't have to dig this in - spread it on he surface and let the worms do the work.
Someone who knows about flowers will be along in a minute. I do fruit & veg
Good luck!
What is the drainage like in the back garden, apart from the boggy corner? If water drains ok, with a bit of improvement to the topsoil you would be able to grow lots of flowers. What do you like?
There are several roses and clematis which will do ok in a north facing or shady aspect. I have Clematis Fantasy and Fujimusume in a similar spot and Rosa Souvenir du docteur jermain is on my wishlist. You will need to get the soil right, most plants want reasonable drainage especially in winter but not too dry, they also need nutrition. Digging in lots of compost and/or well rotted manure will help in every way.
Told you
Hi, thanks for the ideas - I was worried my amateur status would put people off!!!!! I like the idea of some kind of feature in the back garden, I had thought of a rockery type idea but as I don't know much about gardening I didn't know if that would work. The drainage isn't that good in the back generally, the back corner is the worst area but due to half a factory still being under-ground it does get quite watery. Would shrubs/bushes be better than flowers?
The clematis at the front of the house sounds ideal, have I missed the boat to plant this or is it something that can be planted at any time? We have some garden centre vouchers so I could perhaps start on this at the weekend!
Thanks again
Clematis can be planted at any time as long as the ground isn't frozen. You will need a bit of trellis or something for it to climb. It is different from other plants in that it should be planted deeper than it is in the pot it comes in. Get some compost at the garden centre and dig a hole deeper and wider than you need and about 18" away from the wall so the plant will benefit when it rains.Mix the soil you dig out with the compost (Soak the plant in its pot before you dig the hole) To get the plant out of the pot put one hand flat over the top of the pot with the stem(s) between your fingers, tip it upside down and pull the pot off with the other hand. Angle it towards the wall so the cane in the pot touches the trellis. There's no need to untangle it from the cane but do remove any plastic ties. Fill it back in with the soil/compost mix and gently firm in. Water really well, a good soak, and water it deeply every week until it is growing strongly. They like a bit of tomato fertiliser/feed when they're not in flower.
Here's a link for Clematis that do well in shade,
http://www.taylorsclematis.co.uk/clematis-will-tolerate-shade
For the back garden I would grow some hardy annuals from seed and/or bedding plants in a sunny spot you can see from the house and take your time with the rest. There are lovely plants for all soils and situations. Think how you want it to look, what colours you like, where the sun is at different times of the day and then google eg tall mauve flowers for full sun, evergreen shrub for partial shade, yellow flowers for boggy soil etc. I have found some real gems in my own garden like this and then you can ask specific questions here about plants that take your fancy or ask for recommendations for plants for specific sites in your garden. Other people on here know far more than I do, especially about shrubs and trees. My thing is plants that flower for a long time in shade and partial shade especially in purples, blues and pinks. If it were my garden I would plant Lythrum Dropmore Purple in the boggy corner but you may prefer a foliage plant like gunnera.
If you want a rockery have one, it needs to be in a sunny place but it would probably solve the drainage problem as could raised beds. Sorry this is so long I don't want to scare you off - happy gardening
Since you're going to do a lot of digging and soil improving, it'll take time (and can be disheartening), so if you want some plants and colour now, you might put them in pots for the time being. You can plant them in the ground later, when the soil is ready.