Hello all, I'm new to here... and the garden.

You still have plenty of time left to start the boarders, I'm still adding bits to mine!
Yes I agree I wouldn't put anything high in those beds, it will spoil the view when you are sitting on the patio

 

Hi and welcome! I'm a switherer and Googler as well and I see from your other thread we both have rubbish soil, so very similar situations I think. The photos look great - you've got an exciting starting point and I bet the garden looks fab in a few years when you've got things in and maturing. Best of luck!

 

Yup @Anzia , I think "Apprentice Gardener" may be overstating it, I'm definitely still in the "Google Gardener" status. The more I read about soil etc. the more terrified I am, but the advice here should get me out in the garden with a fork and spade, instead of at the window with WiFi and a mouse.

 

Start with tough and rewarding plants - lavenders next to that patio, maybe a repeat flowering rose. Some herbs (normally as tough as old boots, so long as they have sun and aren't sitting in sodden soil - Rosemary, with its lovely blue flowers, marjoram, oregano, chives... (If you buy the pot grown plants from the supermarket, these will often grow if planted out, but ask for advice before releasing mint into the wild!)

All these plants will mostly take care of themselves, giving you the confidence to watch what helps them grow, and time to sow some seeds....

 

Excellent, I'll try and pick up some lavender over the weekend to get started. Having a quick read it would appear that Hidcote would be a good starter?

I like the idea of a Mediterranean courtyard feel to that area of the garden and patio so the lavender will work in well. I posted on another thread asking about having a larger feature plant/grass/palm thing in either bed with the lavender surrounding it would be an idea.

Where you thinking of mixing in the Rosemary, marjoram in with the lavender in those beds?

I realise some of those may be terribly naive questions.

 

Rosemary, marjoram and lavender need almost identical growing conditions -good sun and not too wet feet.
Marjoram is a little spread-y, so a small pot about 3" across would eventually like to have 12-15" spreading room. (I'd be tempted to give it a large space from the beginning, and ask it to share its "patch" with parsley and chives the first year - parsley is best replaced each year, and the chives are easy to move, for the following year).
Rosemary can grow into a larger shrub in a few years, so maybe to the side of the patio? They often "sit there" doing nothing much for the first year, as if assessing their new home, and then take off in the second year. If it gets too high (I did have one that was 4 foot high, and willing to go further!), you just cut the tall stems back to about 6" from the ground, and it will bush out again.
Lavender, as you have already discovered, lots of different types. Hidcote is a good, compact variety. Remember the flowers can vary in colour too, from white through pale mauve to the deepest purple....

Go on, get your hands dirty!!!

 

Excellent, thanks @Sian in Belgium . I'm chipping away at preparing the beds, it's been quite slow lately. The summer here in Scotland has been terrible so far, the past few days have been very wet and windy. I'll keep you posted.

 

Hi Patrick,

If you're interested in Lavender have a look at my post in the " Show us your recent purchases " thread on July 10th.
I've put some pics up of one I've just bought. It's a French Lavender called Tiara. It's got white bracts and purple and gold flowers.

 

@Anthony Rogers , would a French lavender be hardy in Scotland? I struggle to get it through a winter here...

 

Oops, sorry.... I thought it was just down to good drainage with Lavender rather than hardiness.

Sorry Patrick :(

 

For most lavenders, yes, but if I remember correctly, the French lavender is a bit "borderline", and we don't want a new gardener discouraged with a failure....

Patrick, how about starting a thread in the "new gardeners" forum, to ask for advice on what to plant?

 

That is a lovely one @Anthony Rogers. It would be good to have a couple of types in the bed to keep it interesting. I had a look around at the weekend and got quickly confused with the choice of Lavender. To the point I left with a Hebe 'Heartbreaker' and a Black Lace Sambucus just because they looked lovely together. No idea where I'll put them though.
It's a good idea @Sian in Belgium to start the thread, I'm on it.

 

Just in case it isn't quite hardy enough could you put it in a nice container/pot and put it inside or in a sheltered position.

Also, Lavender are easy to grow from cuttings. You could put 4 or 5 in a 3" pot and keep them on a windowsill over winter as insurance against losing the mother plant.