Where to start

http://gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/members/cyclingvet-albums-new-garden.html

 

Nope do not do that Cylingvet

Although I admit you seem to have been given the run around to posting pics correctly rather than any advice :(

You will not regret staying here and getting the advice and a good community spirit

I can not assist you as I too am new, learning from here

After my first full year then I too will be able to offer what I know from what I have learnt

As for Gardeners World magazine, you will learn more on here, than how you can wear a £700 wrist watch, a £125 dibber stick in real apple wood. or a German double rake for just £375
Not forgetting your FREE 1LB of Maris Piper seed spuds for just £4.90 postage if you subscribe :-)

Stick with it mate we will help you

Jack McHammocklashing (the naughty one)

 

Gone to your picture file, right clicked to save.
In the reply post, right clicked and pasted.

It worked very easily.
Try it.

It goes to Cyclingvets own site for the blow up - in a 2nd page - but hey-ho. its there anyway.

 

Thanks gcc3663. Still no advice or support though! Just made to feel inferior about my inability to post pictures adequately.

 

Thanks Jiffy. You are a star!!!

 

First question - do you like the Clematis?
If so check out this link...................

Growing Clematis Queries - International Clematis Society

Now is the time to do it.

If not, rip the lot down and start again!

Next, the sceptic tank. Bearing in mind that if the tank is "active" it may at some point need access at some point, I wouldn't put anything too precious around it. You could erect fence post around it off which you could mount a wire or string "trellis" to support a climber such as Eccromocarpus scaber................



.............which is loved by bees, and hardy in my garden (and it gets cold here).
Apart from the Gloriosa and the Sollya, all the climbers in my album (http://gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/members/longk-albums-my-climbing-plants.html) should grow well and offer an effective screen that would be easily replaced if needs be.

The veg plot - There are others far more qualified than me, but I do know that ideally you need four separate beds in order to practise crop rotation. Whist working this out, consider fruit tree planting too - they can help to act as a windbreak.
Now is a good time to make a start on with this too, as exposing weed roots to frost is a good way of getting on top of them.
Remember to make space for a compost heap.
Might be worth considering summer watering now too.

 

There is a wisteria as well as the clematis. I murdered the wisteria last month as it was rampant and am hoping it will be ok as am fond of them. Clematis I don't dislike but haven't much experience with. I think I will leave them for now & dither & plan for next year. Maybe do a bit of hacking back.

I had a lightbulb moment with the veg. Remembered a pal with raised beds. Rang her & she edged hers with scaffolding planks. Currently waiting to hear fm someone on ebay to see how much to courier a few as none seem available locally. Phoned local scaffolding co. & they don't supply old ones. Plan - make beds. put on top of undug paddock. Line with old newspaper & import new soil to fill beds. Can then add beds as I need them. Assuming I can get hold of the scaffold boards!

 

I use what the local timber merchant calls gravel board = 20mm thick, about 20cm deep and 60pence per metre. I think that you'll still need to turn the soil under them, but I could be wrong. For runner (and broad?) beans you'll still need a trench - no way around that.

Another idea for the silage tank - tall growing annuals and perennials such as Nicotiana sylvestris...............


Uploaded with ImageShack.us
..............which is very fragrant and has impressively large leaves.

Cleome.................


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..............best photo that I have - sorry! Grows up to about a metre and a half with cannibis like leaves (to look at!) to get the neighbours talking!

Foxgloves for early season interest maybe. And Hollyhocks if you can keep on top of the self seeders.

 

Excellent plan, I have followed this rule for most of my life. Where gardening is concerned it often works!
Your garden looks wonderful, loads of lovely potential. I think you are right to spend a season thinking and planning, especially if you think you will want hard landscaping. Might as well get it right first time.

Don't hack the clematis until you know if it's an early spring flowerer or not. If it is and you hack it now, you'll lose the flowers this year.

That's a very good idea, you can enjoy them this summer, then move them if you wish in a subsequent year. Railway sleepers look fantastic for this job but would be quite expensive. Four beds would be ideal but certainly not essential.

Why do you think the trellis area is wrongly-sited? My guess is that previous owners wanted a relaxing seating/dining area as close to the house as possible and it certainly looks as as if it would provide that. If you wanted to be completely radical I would replan the whole of the area adjacent to the house, putting patio/seating areas directly next to patio doors etc, and resiting the parking area so it is not given pride of place next to the house. I can well understand if it not possible to move it, though.

If you think you will get rid of the trellis area there's no point in mending it. However, if you wanted to keep it, then I would detach all the climbers/shrubs from their supports, lay them outwards onto the grass so you can repair/replace the old trellis. Then reattach the climbers. You might have to prune and cut back to achieve this. Best done in late winter, early spring or autumn.

I don't see the sceptic pipe as a problem - almost anything placed or planted near it would distract the eye and render it unobtrusive. If you wanted to place a veg/flower bed around it you could easily achieve that ready for this spring and turf it over later if it didn't fit in with pans as they develop.

Don't worry about the uploading, I've never been able to do it either! And stick with the forum, folks are really friendly, honest!

 

Thanks Madahhlia. Brilliant suggestions :D

 

Got a man in. Recommended by someone I know . Charged me nothing to come out & nothing to draw up plans. No obligation. Has been doing big stuff in friend's large garden for 20years. Haven't seen his garden but it is his life so that is recommendation enough for me.

The Plan

Knock down 2 knackered old trees behind greenhouse, make gate in fence beside greenhouse for access. Extend pipe along fence for connection to only standpipe in the place in front of cottage. Do 2 20' x 6' beds 1 veg 1 fruit & build cage round re wildlife.

Hack away tarmac in front of conservatory at back of house & replace with york stone. Fence between that and rest of drive for privacy from road. shift existing patio area west & use site as extra turning on driveway as currently too narrow to manouevre.

Wildlife pond in rest of paddock.

Me like!!

 

just fooling around a bit (testing a few things)

 

That's hilarious! I'm more a cottagey than tropical kind of girl but it looks better already:D Even got the labrador in there!! Have 3 black cf one yellow but it looks the part!

 

LOL .... am just testing some new software .... have the trial version, so it only has a few plants

works ok though, and will most prob get the full version which has over 6000 plants/trees, plus things like decking etc ...