Novice: border/ bank help please.

Hi all from sunny west wales,

I bought a small old cottage a yr ago, with a 20 year totally neglected garden: a long thin area of land approx 200yds x 20, hse on one end, with 3 sections:

1. lawn & border/ bed area
2. knotweed, overgrown mid area
3. lower area with 45* slope to a stream.

Im ONLY addressing no.1 for now. I've made a tentative start: I replaced old sleepers, turf so adding 1m of lawn width = 1m less bank area. Ive done tentative 'page1' planting.. ok but very boring.

With no skill or ideas for this bank I'm reticent to continue unless done properly & with a solid plan. I'd appreciate some help with ideas just for this bank to start .. thank you.

SeaChief.

 

Hi SeaChief, if you could give us an idea of soil-type and which way the slope faces, that would help a lot with plant ideas. Meanwhile, one tip for when you decide which plants you want....sink the open, top 2/3rds of a clear plastic bottle next to each plant's rootball. Slopes are a complete pain to water but the 'funnels' will direct water deeply to where it's needed.

 

Salut noisette47 et merci pour la spiel,

soil.. well its pretty much clay. I broke it up & mixed in other stuff, somesort of 'compost' I found rotting in hedges.. & usual spadeful/ when I planted these things. But so big it remains 90% clay unfortunately. It faces east.

 

SeaChief, if mine I would dig it all over.....ideally in the autumn and get plenty of goodness in there.

Nice clean area to work with.....evergreens? Scented? Grasses? Perennials? What would you like to see there? Colour?

I would test the soil using a PH tester to find out if your soil is acid or alkaline.

Not much sun then?

So, for this summer I would fill it with cheap annuals .....get ideas during the summer whilst you are enjoying the process of your garden and then use the autumn amd winter to prepare the ground well. We can and will offer you loads of ideas for suitable plants come the late summer and autumn

 

Verdun I like your posts & your stupid face.

What' evergreen plant? thought that was re. pine trees on the whole.. what is perennials? (thought another word for that was the gooch tbh).

I don't know you see what Id like to see, because I've just never considered such things or know what a is to b, to c. I couldn't tell you of an evergreen plant- I just don't know of one.

I mean I'd like to say 'like silu's if possible' (last post on here Aloha from HOT west wales! ) & inspiring considering Im in my 40's & silu said she's a few yrs on me.. maybe a few less flowers as I'm a chap, & I do get a bit tired of the prevelance of pink xyz. One thing I do like about my n'bors' garden is the extravigant/ varied non-flower plants.. some quite big leafed whatnots, all shapes & sizes. But these guys travelled to all corners of UK for wknds to buy exotic things.

 

@SeaChief
Maybe get out and visit a few gardens, National Trust properties or just wander round the neighbourhood, see what you like and work from there.

 

Good idea, but I mean I like loads & loads.. I look out as I type on my n'bors paradise (I get best view- one huge benefit of my house) for eg.. but Ive no idea what anything is let alone how on earth I might do the same, what X likes or where X might be bought from. Rotten bugger: liked dragging me in & showing-off stuff to me, then I ask him a few friendly novice Q's & he clams up.. ugh I dunno/ just dig a hole/ Im no expert.. then goes inside tell his wife how I pester him. A very peculiar 2-faced sod. She comes round & launches a tirade of hate at me 'leave him alone!!'. chrissakes.