In need of inspiration...

Hi, I am new to gardening and need some ideas for my borders around my patio. I've tried a few things but I'm doing it a bit blind really. I like the idea of a colourful fragrant garden, I put 2 honeysuckle for the trellis which smell nice but seem to bush out rather than climg the trellis. I have 2 rose bushes in the right corner. and a couple of shrubs and right side (philadephus coronarius & Sambucus nigra) . The garden is north facing and gets the better sun toward the back. Many thanks Ian

 

Why dont you try a few veg? like runner beans for the kids, and some other small veg, and plant some flowers around the veg, the kids will love it

 

My wife did suggest doing a little veg in there. Kis would love growing them, not so sure about eating them tho. :-) thanks for your help

 

Even hamburgers sometimes have a little veg in them!! pickles lettuces

 

Have to say I really do like the Patio . My grandchildren started being interested in the garden when I grew Sweet Corn and peas . Now they like to grow Tomatoes and Cucumbers

 

nice place!

have you planted the honeysuckles, philadephus coronarius & Sambucus nigra in the border against the wooden fence (in the 2nd photo?)

in which area of the UK do you live, and which direction does the wooden fence face (North, South?)?

 

sound nice, I like the sound of doing some veg. would they need a sunny part of the garden or shade. Because closer to the house its really shady but they would go perfect there.

 

the honey suckles are at the back by the trellis. One next to the garage (1st photo) and the other near the corner (2nd photo). sorry cant see it peg basket in the way sorry. the 2 shrubs are next to the fence. We live near Portsmouth

 

I think the fence faces west i think? It's north by the trampoline :-)

 

here is an idea that may or may not appeal to you .... it's difficult to judge sizes, and your border against the wooden wall is not very wide ...

plant a few ferns that get a decent height ... (Dryopteris Filix mas is one, and is hardy and can grow in sun or shade) .... they are in foilage for most of the year

plant some huechera Georgia Peach (those are the reddish/pinky plants) .... they are evergreen and will give you a show for all 12 months of the year (one of my fav plants)

plant some Hakonechloa Macra Aureola (japanese forest grass) .... they are not evergreen, and in winter the blades turn brown .... you leave the brown blades on until the beginning of spring, then snip them off an inch from ground level at the end of Feb .... and in april, they regrow (and even when they are brown, they look ok) .... I always plant these in all the gardens I work at

against the wooden fence, plant a star Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) .... this is evergreen, and the white flowers in summer smell very strong

also plant a Clematis Armandii Appleblossom .... this too is evergreen, needs a bit of pruning from time to time, and many say that the flowers in spring have a strong sweet smell .... I have planted the standard Clematis Armandii and I don't smell much, but some say the apple blossom variety is a bit stronger smelling .... I have planted one 2 weeks ago, and it is about to flower, but it's still small

the Honeysuckle against the back trellis may need to be kept in check, as they grow fairly fast

in the corner of the bed by the wooden fence, (closest the house), plant a Sarcococca Confusa .... this is a small hardy evergreen shrub that smells good in winter

that will give you some colour, and some smell for most of the year ....

not sure what shrubs and plants you have on the raised bed by the trellis, but there may be space for a few more good smelling plants and you could also place a few in pots ....

you may also be able to plant a few Clematis Fragrant Oberon creepers inbetween (they dont take much space and will grow inbetween the star jasmine and apple blossom clematis)

 

wow thats awesome, thankyou so much. It looks amazing. With the jasmine and appleblossom how many plants would you think I would need? Would I train just 1 to cover the fence or more? Also would the plants need any special type of compost, I think our soil has alot of clay in it. thanks again for your help :-)

 

pleasure! .... it's only an idea to get you thinking .... take your time ... you will most probably get other very good ideas on this thread from other people

I would plant 2 star jasmine to fill the designated area .... they are a bit slow for 2 years, then they grow faster .... they are supposed to cover a 6m spread, but that will take a while and 2 won't do any harm (it just costs approx £20 more)

I clematis Armadii will be fine as they grow fast

as for compost, you will need to plant things properly ...

this is what I have been doing lately:

dig good size holes ...

mix 1/3 of Plagron Bat mix with 1/3 of Plagron worm humus, and 1/3 of topsoil taken from the hole .... add a handful of verve volcanic rock dust, some perlite for drainage and use rootgrow in the hole where the roots will be placed

as for the playgron batmix and worm humis (worm castings ... also known as vermicompost), you can get them from a hydroponic specialist in your area ... google finds a few shops , and the batmix and worm humis is not expensive

http://www.google.co.uk/#q=portsmou...f.,cf.osb&fp=c9d63d4d2de33b39&biw=792&bih=394

or, if you want the old fashioned method ... 1/3 compost such as John innes #3, 1/3 well rotted farmyard manure, and 1/3 topsoil from the hole ... add some perlite and it will be good (all available from all garden centres) .... and use rootgrow when you plant (rootgrow can be bought from your garden centre)

and then during the growing season, fertilize monthly with a balanced fertilizer, and/or seaweed extract

and always keep on adding compost and well rotted manure to your beds to improve the soil

 

Paint the west facing fence in a nice light colour to make best use of the available light. Then get some peas growing against it (supported on strings of course). Kids love pea pods, its just a given. And, when your peas have finished, you tell the kids ALL the veg on their plate came out of your garden. Probably wont work indefinitely but its still working on my 3 year old son so far

I happen to know that strawberries do surprisingly well in light shade. I grew some last year in a spot that gets no direct sunshine at all, ever. The crop was poor, but it was a crop. I expect it would have been better in the corner by that fence, as if the house wall faces north and the fence faces west, then its the same as mine, and that corner gets the last of the evening sun. Theoretically a number of other soft fruits are ok there too, including all the currants, and most of the brambles, but time will tell (its something I'm trying this year). There are thornless brambles nowadays, and currants that are allegedly sweet enough to eat straight off the bush, all said to be fine against a north facing wall.

At risk of sounding like a broken record, I'm going to mention nasturtium. Its a great plant that tolerates pretty much anything, including being battered in by kids. The whole plant is edible (although don't expect the kids to like it, its quite peppery), and it is vigorous, very pretty, and easily grown from seed that is large enough for little fingers to handle with ease. i.e. a great kiddy motivator.