in need of inspiration

Hi,

I've come along for inspiration for my 10 year old garden. It's small, slightly overgrown and there was a block of flats here before they built my house so i have a problem or 2. Glad to have joined, Lily

 

Hi Lily,

Welcome to the board.
It would help if you could post some photos of your garden and give the experts (not me!) an idea of what you want from it. Also whether the soil is workable or still contains a lot of rubble.

 

Hello there and Welcome.

 

Welcome to GC :gnthb:

 

Hi, and welcome to GC.
Enjoy your stay
Robert of Yorkshire

 

Hello, Scented Lily. For me the best inspiration comes from the prospect of creating a habitat which is both beautiful, and compatible with nature, so a wildlife friendly garden would be the starting point for me. Your garden has its self replaced a block of flats - a triumph of nature and beauty over squalid modernity and Man!

What do you want the garden to look like? Are you planning on maintaining the slightly overgrown, wild look, or to make it tidier? If the latter, maybe pots and containers are the way forward, with smart but pretty borders of spring flowering annuals around the edges? If the former, why not some more unusual shrubs and bushes...

This summer I renovated an overgrown garden: I began by simply slicing down all the long grass, digging the weeds, and leaving a raised area at the top end completely bare. I then planted various attractive annuals, as well as a lavender "hedge" along one side, and some hardier heathers dotted around for winter interest. If you are aiming for the "meadow" effect, simply mow and rake up all the overgrowth and scatter some wild flower seeds, which will bloom throughout the winter and into spring.

Why not go for seasonal continuity, and so-called "underplanting", whereby plants (often as bulbs) intended to bloom later in the year are planted very close to those to grow before. If you have a tree or large bushes, some ground cover planted carefully around it will ensure that the garden retains colour even when the dominant features are bare. If governed by space, you can still present a wide array of different plants - I currently live in a flat and have just two long paving stones to display outdoor plants on, yet have managed to mix heathers, Fuchshia, Crocosmia, various herbs, Violas and Sempervivums all potted into containers and arranged in an attractive, slightly undisciplined colour scheme.

Above all, I would encourage the promotion of local widlife, so I would be sure to plant as many herbal and aromatic plants for bees, butterflies and birds, and to go for species which will flower through the winter (Crocuses, daffs, Hamamelis mollis/Witch Hazel, Christmas Rose), and plants with stems and foliage that remains interesting through winter, such as Nandina domestica, a bambooesque shrub whose leaves turn red in winter. Keeping a section of the garden free of human trespass is a good step, allowing fallen leaves and branches to simply melt in as a mulch, and incorporating a bird house/seed feeder, bird bath or even a small pond which can be created just by sinking a plastic liner into soil, will mean a ready supply of birds and even amphibians and more. If you do have a water area, remember to keep the edges gravelly and avoid a sudden steep drop, in case of eager mammals such as hedgehogs falling in. An "escape route" of sloped ramp or plastic netting should also be attempted.

If you are growing climbers, plant them about a ft from the wall, and take note of the shade/sun requirements of anything you grow: there are some plants, such as Aucuba japonica (Spotted Laurel), Hostas and the tobacco plant (Nicotiana) which actually prefer shade.

Good luck with your gardening, and I hope you manage to create one which is satisfying to you, and to wildlife.