This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.
embarrased beginner help!
carrieholroyd
Posts: 9
Hi all,
we live on a cul-de-sac of 5 houses. Our house is the last on the street and this fence runs parallel to the house. Therefore I assume we are responsible for the maintainace of the fence and plants. We have never done any gardening before- this is our first home. It is all starting to look really untidy and we have no idea where to start or how to bring some life back to the area as it was nice when we first moved in. So any help and advice would be much appreciated. I'm embarrassed because the neighbours keep the front of thwor houses so neat and tidy. There is nothing we can do about the ugly container behind the fence.
thank you in advance.
0
Posts
Hi Carrie - I think 1st thing to check is that it is your fence and ground before you start making changes. It should be marked on your Deeds (with a T - but not all are) if the fence is yours and your responsibility. Or check with whoever owns the land the other side of the fence.
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Hello Carrieholroyd
doesnt look too bad to me at all Give it a good weed, time taken now will prevent you having to do it again later
the hydrangea is obviously a beauty and will no doubt be your "feature" Take some secateurs and cut back last years dead heads to about the first big bud behind. Next year once you know more about the plant you can prune it harder if you want to. I think that looks like pieris between the trees, did you see any spring colour on them?
your grass looks a wee bit dry and hungry, there are lots of proprietary feeds available to water in and this is a good time to sow grass seed if it's needed.
there are many far more knowledgable folk here than me who will give you ideas for some summer colour to plant between your shrubs and there may be some advice in how to screen the container.
its always lovely to hear of new gardeners, well done in taking pride in your new garden, send in some photos, we love before and after!
good luck
A A Milne
I agree with Pete that you should check first on any paperwork and then with immediate neighbours to try and determine whether or not you are responsible for this bit of ground.
If you can't work it out and everyone is happy for you to look after it I would do the following:
First it all looks a bit dry and there are some weeds in there so I would give it a really good soaking one evening which will make it much easier to weed and turn the soil the next day.
Next I would weed it and tidy / prune any shrubs which need attention. I'm sure if you ask some of your gardening neighbours what to do they will be pleased to give you advice and maybe even help you.
Then water well again and top with a 2" layer of compost. You could then finish it with a top layer of shingle, pebbles or slate chippings which might look quite ornamental and will help with moisture retention and weed suppression.
If you want to add any plants I would put in something low maintenance like Geranium cantabrigiense "Biokovo". This forms nice low growing, ground covering (therefore weed suppressing), spreading, semi-evergreen clumps and has very pretty pale shell-pink flowers in the summer.
Last edited: 07 May 2017 12:10:45
Thank you all so much for taking the time to reply. I didn't expect such a speedy reaponse.
Having looked at the deeds I am unsure if we are responsible as there is a blue area highlighted which is approx where the area is (Picture included). However, it seems logical we maintain this as it is directly outside the front out our house and the neighbours havent been near it so I assume the previous owners maintained. Regarding the fence if it ever needs replacing I will check with the building behind who has responsibility as its not clear- but we don't mind giving it a lick of paint on our side.
It's really helpful that you have given us the names of the plants.
The hydrangea looks totally dead to me. So should we cutback all of the heads? Sorry if this seems a silly question but I really am unsure and would like to get it right.
We will give it a good socking tonight to turn and deweed tomorrow. Thank you all
It's only the flower heads that are finished Carrie - the rest of the plant looks to be in good condition.
So yes, you can remove all the flower heads per Lily's advice. This will make the plant look much tidier. Advice on looking after mophead hydrangeas (which that looks like - but I'll stand to be corrected) at this link
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=516
The flower heads are rather nice as part of a flower arrangement and you can dry them for winter use. Makes an unusual Christmas wreath
Last edited: 07 May 2017 12:52:29
Hi, it isn't dead, those brown bits are just last years flowers. The leaves are nice and green. Hydrangeas flower later in the season, which is why you can't see any new flowers yet. Just cut the old flowers off back to a bud as Lily Pilly said and the shrub will look better straight away. If you are worried about making a mess, you probably won't, but someone will have posted a how-to on YouTube. Good luck
Try to identify all the plants so you can then find out how to look after them.Ask around the neighbours look in plant encyclopedias. Take your time nothing is going to happen overnight. Basic first steps water really well, pull up any obvious weeds, break up the bits of bare soil letting air and warter in and finally give the whole bed a good feed. Live with it just tidy for a while and see how the plants grow, there maybe bulbs planted. Above aĺl enjoy and have fun
Last edited: 08 May 2017 20:23:28