Starting to tackle the garden.

Wow, I always forget just how strong some plants can root in, amazing really

 

Heres an update, took out the roots

it looks very bare now, lol. The hebes are starting to put new shoots out now that there is some light on them. I also have an unknown plant - but will post in the identification to see what it is.

Now comes the difficult part - deciding what plants to have in there, lol.

 

Something colourful and fragrant with all year interest If it doesnt go so well, at least you've not got a massive area to re-do

 

Hi Katherna-

You have to beat that neighbour-it has to be big and colourful. LOL


What are you thinking of now

 

So thats your neighbor on the other side with the chunks of concrete just laying there? Beating that neighbor is not hard to do. Have fun.

Have not got the picture thing down yet. Would love to send you pictures of my gardens--(pleural).

 

yer im sure you'll ace it

Makes all the difference walking up your path to be greeted by your garden, makes coming home that little bit nicer...even if I have to tackle the cats and the dog and the house work and the... lol

Put pics up when you've started

 

I've been looking through this years plant catalogues and have found a few plants that look nice, would need your opinions though on size, position etc;
Astilbe - my mums grown these a red type with red foliage - I know they die back in winter.
Aquilegia - McKana Mixed (think thats what they are), I've grown these from seed and they are sat in a pot in the back garden.
Bergamot - I like the look of the flowers and the fact that they attract wildlife to the garden.
I liked the look of Bears Breeches as well but I think that they will grow too big and spread too quickly so advice would be needed.
I looked through the catalogue and didn't just stop at B it was just that I liked the look of those plants.

I know these will die back each year (I think) so I'm going to need some ideas for somethings that are evergreen or will be growing when these have died back so I've got interest all year.

 

Hi Katherna,

Your space seems to have quadrupled!

Astilbe-I just adore these plants, and if I can get a good chunk off mine next early summer I`ll send you some. For some reason they just go mad in my garden. Their flowers can be kept on for interest in through Autumn-I think they were once used in those dried flower arrangements. I have loads of colours as well.

I am doing bergamot next year so if you go for it you`ll have to post so I can make sure I am not killing it or anything.

Nice choices!

I meant the beat the neighbour comment in a sarky way.

 

Heehee, I can beat the neighbours in the crisp bag in the garden stakes living at the bottom of a cul-de-sac I get the kids hanging around so all the sweet wrappers and crisp bags end up in the garden, plus when it's bin emptying day I get anything thats blown around in the garden as well :(

The space does seem a lot bigger now that the bully cistus has gone, most was dead and dying anyways soit probably wouldn't have lasted that much longer anyways.

Ohhhh thanks loads Lollipop, the kids got my mum a couple of astilbe's when she moved into her house for the garden, I always thought the flowers were nicely unusual, and obviously the moe colours the better, heehee, most of the flowers in the garden are white or pink, apart from the berberis which always gets comments about the nice colour.

I liked the look of the bergamot flowers, a little untidy looking, several colours in a small swathe at the back near the wall and railing I think would look nice. The bears breeches looked really nice and unusual but I think that they spread quite a lot so maybe too much for the small space as I don't want to overcrowd it.

Think I might get some bulbs as well, just to give a little greenery in the spring. Plus I'm getting my mums spade out and chopping some of her geraniums to put in, she's got loads and loads so I can have as much as I like. Next to the path is a concrete ridge to help keep the path up probably so I'll plant them next to it as my mums grow in virtually no soil anyway, they'll feel right at home.

 

Update ---- Garden development has had to stop for alittle while. :rolleyes: After cutting down the shrubs I have noticed that my neighbours sewerage drain cover leaks (more pours) water when people in the street flush their loos' so no gardening in that until it's fixed!

Any tips for what I should do once it's been fixed? As it's not exactly well rotted thats been coming out and running straight into my front garden. :eek: :eek: :eek:

 

Hi Katherna,

It won`t take too long to remedy, was it happening when your plants were still there or is it a new problem?

 

I couldn't see the drain cover from my side of the railings as the plant was in the way, so it could have been happening since ... forever, lol, I reported it to the housing asc so hopefully someone will be out soonish. All I can think now is it's a good job I had a pair of marigolds on when I was clearing away everything, and I did wonder about the smell but thought it was because of the 'wet' leaves, it just smelt damp and musty but now it is certainly a sewer smell and I've got some strange looking yellow flies landing on the soil, yuck.
I'll take pics lol, got to do something as I was going to turn the ground over today after it'd stopped raining, but that'll be given a miss until it smells a little better, lol.

 

It will probably pass very quickly-the smell that is.

 

Thank god for that, and now the suns come out, LOL.

 

Katherna, I am still going with my suggestion of a "study in conifers", easy to maintain and will be year round.