help plz 4 a total newbie!!

Hello all wot a great website,ive gone gardening mad and i havent even started yet lol,wot i need help with is weve been in our house 4 4 years and havent even touched the back garden apart from removing everything that was getting out of hand and laying a patio,our garden is not too big and an akward shape leading into a point at the bottom with a rockery which was completely overgrown,we would live an oreintal theme with red spider plants etc,can anyone suggest plants and how to keep them etc,we are gonna do 2 borders down the side ones in shade and ones in full sun,my husband has put up a bamboo fence so far which looks great,as 4 the borders etc we have to dig them out should i do this now or would it be better to leave it till the spring so it doesnt get overgrown again?also we have 2 conifer trees which weve cut down to stumps,and they are in the beds should i plant around or remove,and if i am to remove them wots the best way? ive been told copper nails but not sure how reliable that is and how long it would take,ive also seen a beatuful shrub called a pieris flaming silver anyone have this and is it easy to grow?ill send photos in if anyones interested.Its all so exciting i just wanna get out there now even though its freezing any help would be great thanx all amanda

 

Hi there and welcome. Sounds like your gonna have a good time with your garden, and will really enjoy the result come spring.

Now (or at least when its a tad milder) is an ideal time to dig and prepare those border beds, and remember that frost will break down large clods with less effort than a spade. :D

Re the conifers, it would be best to get rid of those stumps rather than leave them in to rot. Conifers generally don't root deeply, so you should be able to dig them out. As for the pieris, remember that it likes soil that is on the acid side, so I would suggest you test you soil, you can get a test kit from your local garden centre.

 

re oriental theme there are lots of great bamboos. check out most garden online catalogues eg crocus, dobies , thompson & morgan ,,,plenty more

 

o i did see on the tv gardening program, a garden with an acute angle as you have .. it was made a feature, using a nice fence, and a garden statue
ps be careful with "rockeries"..... in an average urban garden these often tend to be heaps of soil and stones,, which have little merit and collect weeds..... go to the library and look through some gardening books for ideas which you can adapt