Help

I have done gardening for a long time but never had a garden like this one before.

The soil is a mixture of slate and soot by the look of it Im not too sure what will grow in this sort of soil any advice or hints gratefully received. the only thing growing in the neglected garden is spring bulbs and ivy .

I turfed it when we first moved in but its died just not taken at all so worried about plants surviving.

pics attached i hope to show garden

 

Hi Diane, maybe its an old mining area. Have you considered doing some raised beds or getting loads of big containers to plant in ? Thats what im doing here in part of my garden. Failing that you could dig a few foot down and fill it in with new soil but the less costly way would to build some raised beds depending on what you are wanting to grow. I know it sounds a bit daft, but i buy old teapots and even poe`s from charity shops and grow herbs in them and they look smashing or even a Belfast sink looks great full of bulbs or lavender and mint. I do like a rustic looking garden rather than a landscaped neat one though.
Best wishes x

 

Those stone walls would be a great background for a traditional cottage garden.

 

I have started to do a raised bed up against the big slate wall to the left in the picture and we are doing a water feature at the very back but dont know what plants will take in the soil, we have a lot of soil we are moving from the very small front garden in the front to the back so dont really want to buy any as we have a surplus of the stuff its very black and stains your cloths which makes me think its sooty. and as you can see loads of slate, house built in 1840 ish all from slate. thats a two story slate shed in the picture. need to break the bleakness of it . we dont get any sun in the winter as we have a huge mountain at the back but its a sun trap in the spring and summer.

 

lots of slate bits when you try and dig down. not very good drainage. heres a birds eye view but car port not there any more also have the top garden bit as well not touching that this year!

 

Take off a foot to 18" all over and replace with some decent top soil or it will be one long struggle.

 

it will be a long struggle then as you can dig down that deep as just hit slate ! will have to have a concrete jungle me thinks and pots