Raised beds for a garden corners with access only from the hypotenusa

@Tetters Looks great, certainly an idea for the future. Probably best a concentrate on the basics at the moment but will keep this as an idea for the future.

 

@shiney thanks for your comments. I'll work on the soil first and then may be posting again with pants and questions on how big do they get? Got some ideas, well pictures of plants but no idea what their names are. LOL

 

@Loofah It's not that easy for some people. That is what I want and I don't want raised beds but I'm trying to negotiate not having them and to work with what we currently have. I think I am quite a patient person it's just that some people aren't.

 

Some sage advice on here - gardens evolve over time - they are never 'finished' as such. Whatever you do, you can change it at some point in the future if you're not happy.

This is a good point - especially when you are standing in the garden centre befuddled by the range of colours and foliage.

You could purchase a 'border collection' - which are plugs of similarish plants - in my case because of the windy conditions, I purchased a relatively low growing collection. If you do purchase a 'border collection' they will tell you how high/wide each plant will grow.

I'm an advocate of raised beds (have several triangular ones myself).

I have planted perennials at the rear, leaving the space at the front for annuals - no stretching.

Raised beds are easy to make - a strip of timber and some brackets/screws.

It is easier to condition the soil - so if you have clay soil you can dig in mulch and people are less likely to stand on and compact the soil etc.

If you have acidic soil you can add lime etc.

So raised beds allow you to grow a wider range of plants - much like enormous pots.

Strimming the edge of the lawn is so much easier if you have a straight hard edge.

 

@clanless
I'm quite sure it is clay soil. When it was moist grabbing a small handful it was possible to squeeze it into a lump. Also now it has been dry and hot it has the texture of concrete.

I've no mulch so I think I will have to use compost. I assume that any old cheap compost will be ok considering I'm just trying to get some organic material into the soil. Or is that incorrect?!

 

Same as myself then - clay soil - which is one of the reasons I decided to go for raised beds.

Clay soil is both good and bad. Good because it is nutrient rich - bad because it will become water logged and starve roots of air. So you need to somehow separate out the small clay particles.

With my raised beds I dug over the compacted soil - to let water drain - and then mixed in some some shop bought and then spent compost. Spent compost is fine - you are only trying to separate out the clay particles - not add nutrients. Fill up to the top of the raised bed with this mix and you are ready to go. Some Councils give away free compost - but it's not as good as the shop compost.

Some plants are happy in clay soil - but to me a garden should be full of colourful flowers - so if I stuck to clay loving plants, the colour choice/types and sizes of plants would be limited - hence the raised beds.

You could also try some pots on the decking area to extend the range of colour down to the bottom of the garden.

 

I think Simon has decided to leave out raised beds for the time being. I believe that drainage is the biggest issue with clay, and therefore a good load of grit or sharp sand would be good to dig in.

 

Dig in lots of organic matter. That will help break up the clay. In mine I mixed in multipurpose compost, bark chipping and horse manure. Before that I dug my fork into The clay base and turned it into the soil. The bits that I have enriched are far easier to work than those I haven't. The level of your beds could also be raised an inch or 2. That will also help with draining.

G.

 

Yes...but he still has to convince his wife...that's a different matter

 

I think...hope I have convinced her. There has been lots of useful advice regarding digging over the borders with compost. I think we do that and do some planting, if they all die due to lack of drainage then we can look at raising the borders up.

I know things can be changed but it is obviously easier with out hard structures in place, just don't want to get into a situation where it is difficult to change the layout. There is the cost as well raised beds are going to cost extra and there are some essential things to spend that money on.

 

I think you have a garden full of potential there, @Simon Clawson. Like @Tetters I like curves in a garden, but for some reason we have ended up with angular edges which I am trying to think of ways to soften!

I didn't get a clear picture from your diagram, as I am not very good at visualising diagrams, but your photo is very clear. I think you have a good idea in just maintaining and nourishing what you have for now. If it were mine, I would think of how to bring a little less structure into the area. I might think about those unevenly shaped stepping stones laid in the lawn with gaps between them in a slightly meandering path to get to the back patio. I might pick one of the back triangles just in front of the back patio and try out some slightly taller plants which will bring a bit of height to the garden, either in a raised bed, or left at ground level. I would even cut a chunk out of the middle of the hypotenuse to get rid of the stark angularity. I'm thinking of marguerite daisies, crocosmia, lavenders, and beautiful astilbes. Good luck with your plans, it is very exciting to have a project ahead!

 

Ground cover plants planted up to the grass will help soften the edges.

G.