New start for an unloved patch of land .

Hi all, I joined up a good few months ago but havent been using the site much .So apologies for the direct approach but im stumped on what to do with my newly aquired garden / patch . Its roughly 40ft square walled on two sides and south facing , there's not much shade apart from ivy on one side . It slopes from north to south and has been neglected for years . The brambles and nettles have taken over , so theres a thick system of roots everywhere. We've tackled the clearing of weeds etc and managed to get it down to bare soil. We are just in the process of pulling out roots and removing the larger derbris , some of which is over site from the house . Its a classic Somerset plot , detached from the house and can only be accessed via steep stone steps at the rear of the building . This makes any major works fairly difficult but obviously not impossible . My motivation for the garden has suffered due to all the other things happening since our move ,but i now really want to get things happening up there. I dont want to make a start with out thinking and planning it first , im not a perfectionist , but i really want to be proud of our garden especially as our new place is small. So naturally it will be good to have a garden that functions as another room in a sense , especially in the summer ! . Any suggestions or ideas would be greatfully received , look forward to spending a bit more time on here now cheers all . Luke .

 

Hi Koz. I started a while ago from scratch without knowing what I wanted to do. Its a bit daunting. I think there are two aspects. The landscaping and the planting. My first comment would be to not worry too much about what it will finally look like, because once you get involved you will get new ideas and make changes.

Because I had never gardened before I didn't know where to start. So I started by looking at pictures in books. I just turned the pages saying I really like that picture or I don't like that. I then said why do or don't I like it. After a while I started to get a feel of what sort of style I liked. For me it was informal, lots of colour but in a palette of pinks, blues and purples etc (because those pictures turned me on - and still do today). And from there it evolved.

As far as planting was concerned, I bought several packets of first year flowering perennials - in the colours that I had liked, even though I had no idea where I was goint to plant them. The thing about perennials is that they should be lowish maintenance, once established and that they can be moved when you change your mind.

I am also convinced that once you get involved in a new area, you start to learn and get more sensitive to what you see in other gardens. consequently you are learing the skills that you need to decide on the garden design.

 

Thankyou Peter , Its early days yet and ive still to decide what i want to do with regard to the landscaping , the shed needs to go in for extra storage reasons . I also need to get a fence up one side due to our new arrival , a friendly staffy cross by the name of mustard .Your right , i need to get a feel for things first before making any major decisions. I think i'll do a few garden visits and get some inspiration first . I will try to get some pics up in the next few days , it really does have great potential and the soil isnt to bad either !!!

 

Hi Koz,

I'm similar to you. I have a lovely little patio area I've worked on but my main garden is a straight strip of weedy lawn. I agree with Peter, if I see something I like I rip it out or take a photo so I get an idea of the theme, colours and shape etc I want to achieve (when finances permit!).
Looking forward to the photo's.

TO

 

Hi Koz,

I started slowly with a revamp of the patio a year ago and have grown in confidence as I've taken on other areas of the garden. I just grow what I like, some things die some things thrive...it's a steep learning curve though :eek: :D
Access is a good place to start planning...where you need paths or access to other areas...as this dictated to me where my lawns had to be.
Everyone on here is full of great advice and when things go a bit wrong they'll pick you up!!! :D
Good luck!! Look forward to seeing the piccies!!

 

Here you go Koz,
this was my patch last June....


and now....


I'm a single Mum with 3 spawns and a full-time job....if I can do it anyone can!!!!

 

good on you windy miller , you`ve done a fantastic job there , you should be proud of yourself

 

Great pics Windy, and a good source of inspiration to Koz

I was in a similar situation last year too, so I'm by no means an expert now, but here's how I approached it in case it provides some ideas.

Firstly I thought about major features I wanted - for example, somewhere to park the car (unfortunate, but unavoidable!), some fruit and veg beds and a herb garden, somewhere to grow flowers for cutting, at least one bench, and a path to the shed - but I wasn't too bothered about a lawn.

I worked out what constraints there were - like the car area had to be next to the access road, and I wanted the veg beds near the house - and what size rougly i wanted things, then drew a load of very messy sketches, to scale, to work out how it would all fit together!

I'm trying really hard not to be in a rush with planting, because I know I'd be most drawn to what's looking the best at the moment, which could mean I had a garden that looks great for a few months of the year but a bit dull the rest of the time. It also allows you to get to know your garden in all seasons and move things around a bit if you get it wrong (for example, I've now realised that I started off my veg bed rotation plan wrongly and had to do a mid-course correction, but it's rectified now).

I find gardener's world (on tv and the magazine) a good source of inspiration, and also the bbc gardening website is helpful - http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/ - they have a couple of sections on garden design which might help you with ideas for how you want it to look - http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/design/des_ins/index.shtml and http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/htbg2/

Oh, and of course there's coverage of chelsea on at the moment, watch with a pen and paper and make frantic notes of names and ideas you like!

It is a bit daunting but if you start with a simple basic plan and get stuck in, it's amazing how ideas come to you as you go along. Good luck and enjoy yourself

 

Brilliant Guys thanks so much for all the replies.Great to see your garden transformation Windy , well done . Pics will follow as soon as i work out which way to do it !

 

http://s161.photobucket.com/albums/t238/ANYTHING1976/ Here's the Link scroll down and you should see my garden to be and Mustard of course !

 

Wow, that looks like it has bags of potential Koz (and Mustard looks lovely too!). Keep us posted!

 

Lots of work there, Koz! And I don't mean Mustard!

I bet you're looking forward to having greenery and colour out there!

 

Hi, first i'd make a list of what the gardens function is going to be - obviously as you say another room, so you need to locate best seating area - also your dog, give your dog a play section maybe and a place to do it's business so it wont go everywhere.
It's hard to choose what you want in your garden - what style? colours? etc etc i think - if you're anything like me you like everything!!
Maybe check out neighbours gardens - what plants are growing well in theirs.

I find desician making really hard so I make countless design drawings and still cant make my mind up!

windy i envy your views - i love the way the garden looks like it goes on into the hills. fantastic job.

 

Can anybody recommend a method of getting rid of weeds . you name it my garden has it . Its a knightmare they just keep coming ! Its been so neglected for years and the soil is thick with roots of brambles , neetles , knot weed etc . We put black sheeting down but the weeds seem to grow underneath ! How do i put a stop to them ?? The weed killer is getting far to expensive . Help ... Luke

 

i use salt koz as its more 'friendly'. i pull the weeds out manually then i salt the area.
dig out what you can and salt what you cant.