tips for beginners

just moved into our first house which has a fair sized garden. A complete blank canvas. would like some tips for a complete novice please. any help would be very much appreciated. hope to hear from you guys soon. thanks.

 

What's there at the moment?

 

Hi,
The first thing i'd be tempted to do is measure the garden and do a scaled drawing....photo copy it a few times and then transfer a few of your ideas onto paper until you get something you think you like

 

try this fun virtual garden design website from the bbc. its quite good for designing a garden...just click on "virtual garden" add your dimensions and off you go
web page

 

Hi Chellee, I assume this has already plants in it or is it REALLY a blank canvas? As someone who inherited a garden from my very keen gardening great-uncle I would advise patience above all else. Wait for a year and watch what comes up and where - identify plants you like to keep and perhaps move, and ones you don't like. It may also give you an idea of which plants tolerate which conditions. Hope that helps! :D

 

blank canvas---- A pond would be very nice with goldfish and a lovely seating area then you can start by thinking of what trees and flowers would be nice surrounding these areas.

 

wow didn't expect so many replies thank you all. front garden is a rectangle of grass. i wanted to shape it and maybe plant some roses in the middle or should i start off with something a little easier to get me off the mark.

 

No reason why you shouldn't do exactly as you suggest, Chellee. It would be best to make a small bed for the roses, though, not just plant them through the grass, as they'll do better that way. If you decide to do that, dig out the area you want for the roses, weed it, and dig it over so that it's not compacted, and add compost, then dig a hole a bit wider than the pot the rose comes in, fork over the soil at the base of the hole, place the rose, and back-fill some of the soil you dug out, while holding the rose steady and upright, and firm in with your feet. Water in well, and keep watering it morning and evening for a little while, particularly if the weather's hot and dry. That should do the trick!

Pictures once it's done, please!!

 

Welcome Chellee. When I started I looked through lots of pictures of gardens in books. You have to ask yourself which ones you like and then try and work out why. And which ones you did not like and why. That way I got some idea of what sort of style of garden I wanted, formal or informal etc, and what sort of colours I liked.