Advice on a small and unruly garden

First post so stick with me, I'm a bit of a rambler.

I'm brand spanking new to gardening. I grew up in a flat where the only plant we had was silk and it did nothing but go mouldy when I watered it as a child. Mother not best pleased. Since then I've managed to keep alive one plant in total - a spidery cheapo thing from Ikea, which was eaten as soon as I got a cat (no longer with us unfortunately) and have made a poor attempt at having orchids as you'll see in the photos.

We moved into a rented garden flat near Hampstead a few months ago and with the cold snap and the use of blinds and clever footwork have managed to avoid looking at the garden let alone dealing with it. I think once upon a time it was beautiful with a secret garden feel to it, but it is now a little on the disorganised side with bits and pieces overgrown and hacked back where the landlord has just thought "oh that'll do for now".

I'm not sure which way the garden faces or what is in it (photos taken at about 3pm if that helps?) I just know I'm keen to learn and would like a bit of guidance and some ideas on what I can plant!



This is the back of our kitchen. It gets a ton of light and I'd like to fill it with beautiful plants that may be too delicate to grow outside. Probably some herbs as well. Around the corner there's a bit more shelf space.



This is the bed just under the windowsill. I think that might be sage growing? Smells good but looks kind of accidental so wouldn't mind moving it or getting rid of it and starting again. Plenty of little pots I can probably make some use of scattered around.





Left hand side of the garden and the back is what bothers me the most and looks like would be the most work! It's messy and uncared for, and I know this could be an incredible space! Excuse the overturned table and basket (could use as a planter?) - it was windy and I had no shoes on.





To the right there is some kind of paving with things growing around it and a nice little archway that could be good as some kind of feature? At the moment it's really overgrown. Also our potted Christmas tree which is amazingly still alive. Haven't dared to move it since I broke my back carrying it out.

I'd like to keep but tidy up the grass, maybe make the edges of it a little more defined, though that might make the cottagey feel disappear!


There are a few things stored at the side of the house that we could use. Any ideas?



I'm not overly fussed about the front but there's a little bed with what the landlord said were roses, I haven't a clue about what to do with them but heard this is the time of year to prune? WHAT IS PRUINING!? I told you I needed help!

I'm basically asking you lot for the world! We'd like to keep to a relatively small budget as this place is rented (meaning no radical changes too) and we're only here until we can afford to buy...2 or 3 years perhaps.

Any help, advice or suggestions would not go unappreciated! I feel lost!

 

Brilliant! I watered a vase of dried flowers as a kid - thought they were going to die without water. It ruined them of course and my Mother not best pleased either

Your garden looks like a rag-bag collection of not-very-inspiring plants ... probably typical of a rented property with a history of tenants not wanting to spend much money.

If you think you might be there for more than a couple of years (when we rented the "couple of years" that we planned initially turned out to be seven ...) it might be worth putting some effort in - unless you are very handy, and comfortable helping yourself skip-dipping, Freecycling and the like, then it will need some budget.

I think your best bet might be to gather together a collection of plants that you could take with you when you get a place of your own. That could be a collection of plants-in-nice-pots, for example. (Best to check your lease to see what the deal is if you plant-a-plant - they might not want you to just leave holes dotted around the garden when you leave! but given how it looks at the moment it seems unlikely that you could leave it in worse condition, unless you totally neglect it.)

I'm guessing that those green leaves shooting up under the roses are going to turn out to be Bluebells.

The people before you have not known how to prune a rose either I'm afraid. Best someone who can advise better than me guides you on that one.

If it was me I'd plant it as an Exotic garden; that type of plant grows like blue-blazes, and you'd have a garden that people would say "Wow" when they saw it in late Summer. Would need to give some thought to overwintering anything tender (or deciding just to chuck it and replant next Spring).

 

My other half is in his mid-30s and tried to do the same thing to the twigs I have in the kitchen. He thought they were the flowers he bought me when we moved in...this was last weekend! Bless him.

I'll have a little look around about what to do with the roses, they could look lovely but unfortunately haven't had much care.

We've set a reasonably realistic goal of 3 years but it could end up being more depending on house prices in the next few years! Either way, we'd like to enjoy our garden seeing as its such a rarity round our way. Already perfected the art of freecycling, ebaying and gumtreeing. Just need to adapt it!

Landlord has said he is happy for us to plant things and make it look a little nicer, and we're happy to put the work in especially as it's supposedly set to get warmer! I don't think he'd be pleased with decking and changing the whole layout though.

We both work pretty long hours so anything more than a few hours work on a weekend to maintain is optimistic if I'm honest. Though I'd love to spend hours a day kissing each and every petal I'm both realistic and sane.

I love the sound of exotic! Perhaps potted so they could be transferred indoors when it's cold? Or is that not a done thing?

Thanks so much Kristen!

 

Well here's mine then created last year (just to set the scene I have a large garden, in the country, and this is just one of my projects )


Before

It was then planted up in the first two weeds of June 2012 (which is a bit late ... but we weren't ready any sooner)


04 July

and this is how it looked in October:


Walking along the path it looked like this (October again):

There are a variety of options. For example:

There is a relatively hardy Banana (Musa basjoo) which can be left out. It will be killed down to the ground by a cold winter (you might escape that in London in a mild Winter), but will come again from the roots. Other Bananas such as Musa sikkimensis [tall big green leaves extreme right of last photo] will survive outside but you would need to put a chicken wire cage around the stalk and stuff it with straw. There there is the Ethiopian banana Ensete [tall upright large maroon leaves, left of photo]. That can't stay out, but you can cut all its leaves and roots off and store the trunk "dry" somewhere frost-free [garage / attic] for the winter. You'll probably have a problem with the height it needs to get going in the Spring though, you might manage with it as a house plant, but the leaves drip water and most wives don't like them in the house for that reason; men of course don't care!

Here's a close up of the size of the leaf on that Ensete above. It was bought as a 1L plant (i.e. about 18" tall in a 1L pot) in May:


Then there are Cannas [stripy leaf & orange flower left, and purple leaf/pink flower right]. These will probably survive the Winter outside, or you can dig them up and chuck them in a box. Again, bit of a problem starting them off in the Spring - they want to start about now, but must have no frost, and preferably nights that are 5C, better still 10C minimum - greenhouse/conservatory ideal but if you have garage / shed you can put them out for the day (if it is not Artic! like we've had the last few days) and then in the shed at night. They will be happy in the dark for 2 or 3 days of weather too bad to go out.

Then Dahlias - same as Cannas, chuck in a box, or leave in the ground and cross your fingers, same problem with them needing to start off in the Spring if you dig them up. People probably don't think of Dahlias as being exotic (you can have whatever YOU want in your garden of course!) but the ones with MASSIVE flowers get a place in mine (however, I accept that it may be a Boy thing!!). I have this one at the entrance:



Then in the Large Leaf department there is Fatsia japonica - a hardy shrub that will grow into a decent sized evergreen bush, and things with even larger leaves - not in Winter though, and needs a bit of help over winter like Tetrapanax Rex - known as "T Rex" which has leaves a good 2 feet across (cover the growing point with a 2L pop bottle with some straw or similar to insulate). Here's my T Rex, its been in a pot for a year and will be planted out this coming spring:


I have bamboo in mine, adds to the tropical look but take 3 or 4 years to really get established, and they are FAR from cheap to buy (no change for £30 per plant). You could easily grow them in a half-oak barrel or similar, and thus take them with you. Or flog the plant once the barrel-plant gets to a decent size - I bought one, it was in a half-barrel, off eBay for £50 - bargain from my perspective, the buyer probably lost nothing on it and had the benefit for 3 or 4 years. He saves me 3 years growing-time

Exotic gardens are at their best towards the end of Summer, so if you wanted to visit a couple for inspiration that will be too late for your first season decision-time (lots of Photos on Google though ...), but the ones I would recommend are Great Dixter (Sussex) and Will Giles (Norwich, Sunday afternoons only) as they are within reach of you for a day out.

Will Giles garden is a town house garden. Its big for a town house garden, but neither is it stately home size!! and it is truly amazing what he has done with, and crammed into, it.

 

When wife and I went to live in Sheffield, we took on a 6 month tenancy which would give us 6 months to find our way around Sheffield and find something better for the longer term. We were in that house for nearly 11 years. I did very little with the garden for the first half of that time, because every year we were going to move back home by summer. In the end I decided I might as well put the effort in, the logic being if we do stay longer than planned then we might as well enjoy the garden, and if we move out, at least I'll have enjoyed the pottering.

 

Like the others I have done a garden makeover but for different reasons( I have had this garden for over forty years)

A couple of years ago I decided alter my garden completely and like Kristen I wrote a blog on how I did it.

Normally I do not recommend plants to people as tastes can vary so much, but if you wish, feel free to take any of my ideas on board and develop them to suit your tastes.

http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Blogspot/Garden Makeover/Blog.htm

By the way welcome Gc

 

Welcome to GC Deeks.

The roses are in a sad state at the moment but with pruning now they should put on a good display this coming summer. Rather than me explain how to do it here, take a look at the 'Roses' forum and you will find threads there explaining exactly how to prune and care for them. If you post pictures of them there somebody will give you help if needed. 'Wise Owl' is our rose expert and would be only to pleased to help.

The shrubs in the garden I would be inclined to give a pruning now just to tidy them up. Ivy looks as if it's rampant and really needs to be cleared. Don't try digging it out as any roots missed it will just re-shoot from. You could prune a lot back if you like it, but to be honest it will take over again. If you want rid then it will have to be killed with a systemic killer. Systemic means the killer will go right down to the roots.

As Kristen says it looks as though you have a lot of bluebells, these grow from bulbs which multiply, they also self seed when the flowers die back. I'm having my own personal battle with them and dig them out when they appear and pull the flower heads off others so they can't seed. Once again it's personal choice with what you keep but bluebells can take over as well. You can see them growing around the base of the roses.

I've looked at all the pictures again and if it was my garden I'd be inclined to clear everything but the shrubs and start again, that will also give you the opportunity to give the beds a good dig over, shape them and re-plant.

Happy gardening!

 

Kristen, your garden is stunning! Such a transformation in a relatively short amount of time. It looks just like my mum's (she lives in the Philippines)

Will absolutely have a look into these, and many thanks for the very helpful suggestions.

One of my friends has bamboo (or the remenants of it) growing all over her garden, which has now been pebbled over. They're forever cutting it back! If only I could nick a little bit! I love the idea of having it in a pot. Even if it takes a while we can always take it with us.

 

I have a feeling we'll be here a while longer than planned but we're always optimistic! Whether we're here 2 years or 20, like you I'd like to enjoy the garden and learn a few things - hopefully! Might end up cutting my fingers off! Either that or I'll go the other way and the whole house will be a shrub...

 

Tee Gee, thanks for the link. Seeing real gardens is really inspiring. I really love the idea of planting things that are going to last a few seasons and feel pretty sure I'm going to go in that direction.

 

Thanks Sheal, agreed on the roses. After reading up on them I've realised what needs to be done/corrected and will give it a go this weekend. Wish me luck!

Will also tackle the ivy this weekend. I think I'll cut it all back and tidy it up a little bit and hopefully manage to keep on top of it in future as it's quite pretty on the fence. That way we'll get to see what's under it all and draw up a plan for our summer haven!

 

I think its particularly the Spanish Bluebells that are aggressive in their take-over bids (which is not to say that the English Bluebells aren't!) but the Spanish is endangering the English (cross breeds so successfully that the English one becomes swamped by the Spanish), so I am trying to get rid of the few Spanish ones I have left here, and naturalise some English ones instead. I think they are prettier anyway

(Slight over simplification but the English flowers with the bells hanging on one side, and tends to arch on that side, the Spanish bells hang around all sides of the stalk and usually more upright)

That was my thought too looking at the pictures ... dunno if I would bother if I was renting though (we were lucky that we had a brill garden when we were renting ...)

Didn't stop us building a treehouse though

http://kgarden.wordpress.com/projects/our-old-house/

Two types of Bamboo: Clumping and Running. I suggest you avoid the Running type, it is a menace Obviously its fine in a pot, but you'd probably want to plant it out when you get your own place. You can put a root barrier around it, to contain it, but you might want to think about clumping varieties instead as they are a lot better behaved!

 

Kristen, all the Bluebells growing in my garden are English and sorry they're getting the same treatment as Spanish one's would!

 

Fair enough! "A weed is a plant in the wrong place"