Help needed please

Thankyou so much for your reply and your recommendations, will look at those flowers. Definitely the sound of the climbers! Have you got any pics of your garden? Would love to see some.

 

Thankyou , I will do

 

If it were mine I plant the lawn space up with bold plants like already mentioned like jungle plants. I am getting the impression you still want some grass so I'd half the lawn diagonally starting from top left to bottom right of the decking ( or similar ), I'd block the top half off with a small picket fence and plant it up .

A few plants which will give you a jungle look and are easy to find - Fatsia - large leaf hostas - Ligularia - ferns - bamboo ( careful with variety ) and maybe a few exotics like canna - banana - dahlias . you can flip this look with English cottage garden or what ever look that interests you.

Also lots of other ideas like framing a bench ( or arbour ) / statue / bird bath in the bottom right corner and plant just near and around the subject .

 

There you go - every day's a learning day. I didn't realise its local performance was quite so climate related. We've had an exceptionally mild winter - even by Jersey standards. My cobaea is thrving and growing well! It's pushed a runner into the garage and is flowering inside!.. Hilarious. Despite growing so strongly, it doesn't feel like a thug because the plant is soft and the flowers are so big. But yes - I've got a few round the garden and they do go a bit mad! Love it.

 

My spelling is awful - apologies: the cup and saucer vine should have been cobaea scandens - Cobaea scandens

 

It's amazing isn't it, I really want one now.
You live in Jersey? How lovely. I'm not jealous oh okay yes I'm very jealous

 

For sure. The first was in July maybe: the poppies were bonkers last year. The tall one there is an end of life echium - a bienneial which grows very well here and on the near french coast but I think struggles a bit in much of the UK. (Interested actually to hear if anyone does grow them?). They are called Bee Trees - the bees absolutely love them. And they self seed prolifically so if anyone wants a seedling, PM me and I can send.

The second picture was in October. All a bit end of season - and quite mad - with the new greenhouse getting built there. I feel so privileged to have it. An absolute joy to be in...

 

I've taken a load of seeds and could post you some if you want? I've no idea if they are viable though - but you could try if you want to. No drama either way.

And yes - we moved here 15 years ago with work. It's a funny place - bit like stepping back to 1950 in some ways. But a good place to bring up kids.

 

Thankyou for your ideas, think I'm leaving the lawn as it is at minute with it being a rental and having dogs, but the other ideas sounds good

 

Wow thats a lovely offer thankyou.

It sounds like a great place to live for sure. I would love to move away but there's always something holding me back.

 

Wow it looks amazing, aren't poppy's so pretty.

 

Well I've got seeds - some of them look good (came out of a dried pod that just hadn't shed), but some were taken looking a bit white from green pods. But will any germinate? No idea!

My biggest plant does a good job of hiding a pretty ugly concrete garage which is outside my little office window. Hoping it will grow round the bird box I made for the missus for Christmas - and leave it looking a bit less stark and exposed. These are pictures I've just taken now. You can see the seed colour difference there. I wonder if the lighter ones have any chance at all...

 

Well its scruffy and unkempt to be honest. And I find it very hard to throw or pull up a good plant so it's always overgrown. But I love it!