Thoughts for starting a garden at this time of year, please

I bought some very cheap lily bulbs from Thompson & Morgan in late spring (48 for £8 + p&p). They are flourishing and in full flower now, which I didn't expect from planting them much later than usual. They now send me a daily email with real bargains. I've had one or two things I really wanted and the quality is excellent. If you don't mind the daily badgering to buy it's worth getting on their mailing list.

I'd hold off for a bit before planting shrubs as more large areas have been officially declared as areas of drought. Someone on another thread advised another poster to hold off for a while. You could, if you want to, puddle them in and continue watering but with water shortages thos could be difficult.

Shrubs will make roots over the winter too, perhaps planting November onwards might be better.

Why not draw up a plan, use coloured pencils to sketch in a plans of colour, work out size etc. An exciting project for the next few weeks. You can find suggestions for layouts online too.

Butterflies and bees seem to like purple flowering plants best.

Hello, I wish you well. I am changing my garden around and when finding a plant I can no longer use, am putting them on Freecycle. I have received plants this way and donated lots.

Just a thought as completely restocking can be expensive. If you don't seen any advertised, put in a wanted notice and see what transpires!

Wilcos have lots of cheap bulbs which are very good.

I am very grateful for these continuing ideas.

Any thoughts on easy to grow shrubs that attract bees / butterflies?

Buddleia is a magnet for butterflies and will grow pretty much anywhere. Cotoneaster and Ceanothus are loved by bees and evergreen too.

I agree buddleia, also Viburnum, which has the bonus of berries for the birds.
I also find that the bees, particularly the worker bees, adore the Persicaria flowers.

If you fancy a bit of a herb garden, sage, thyme and marjoram or oregano are very popular with bees. Also, of course, lavender.

Nepeta, 'six hills giant' is another good bee plant. It's no good if you have a cat, though, they love it and will lovingly rub out the new growth in the spring

Oregano does have a tendency to seed everywhere, as does feverfew. I thought we'd got rid of the feverfew which was seeding everywhere years ago but noticed a bit clump near the border with our neighbour.

The only green bits in our lawn are clumps of oregano.

Lavender, bees love it.

However, try to buy a variety that doesn't sprawl, what we bought as Hidcote, a neat variety, must have been wrongly labelled as it sprawls untidily.

In the photo I posted top right a wooden box has been built by previous owner. It has soil in it. I am thinking of putting herbs in it so MaizieD - your suggestions above are very welcome thank you.

Try Imperial Little Gem for a compact deep purple Lavender.

Can I just say please don’t plant Buddleia. It seeds everywhere and is choking UK native plants particularly near railway lines and on waste ground. Instead of Hawthorn, Blackthorn and other native species on which our insects depend it is taking over. It is becoming a pest and as far as I understand it may be listed as such by Natural England.

I've planted a very dark pink Buddleia, not the more common purple one found everywhere.

Will that seed, I wonder? It is in an area where it may not matter too much.

They all seed like mad but you can avoid that by deadheading as soon as the flowers start turning brown. I have several buddleias and don’t get many seedlings.

Oh dear, too late!
This could be interesting, it's rather a wild little patch anyway.

The seedlings pull up very easily!

I could have a buddleia hedge ?

Why not!

The answer lies in the soil - it’s true. I’ve been champing at the bit to start my garden but the lack of rain prevents me. I refuse to water unnecessarily. I threw in a handful of phacelia seeds (green manure) which is the most beautiful violet blue and smothered in bees and hoverflies. It will get chopped down and left on the soil over the winter, no deep digging as this is not good for the soil. Planning what to put in is cost effective in the long run and knowing what type of soil you’re working with. I am also thinking about the mix of horizontal and vertical plants, leaf shape and texture, colour throughout the year especially the autumn. Most importantly for me is not being too tidy and making it all wildlife friendly ( all except the carnivorous waterboatmen which have devoured the other waterboatmen (herbivores) and my wonderful pondskaters and other interesting waterlife).
I hope you have fun with your garden - it will evolve over time and you’ll develop an addiction to plants and Gardeners’ Question Time - Good Luck!

This time of year is the best time to plant spring bulbs, but make sure you have decent compost. You would benefit from using top soil. Use the fence for Holyhock and buy a water butt. I found one in the rubbish during lockdown when I was walking past someone's house. It was left outside their garden.

Hope you don't mind me hijacking the thread. I'd love some advice from Gransnet gardeners as I know literally nothing about plants. Ive got a few empty pots in front of the house and would like to plant something evergreen, cheap to buy, low maintenance that would just "be there" all year round. Is that possible? And if so, could anyone be kind enough to give me suggestions as to which plants to buy?

Small holly trees are quite cheap ( cheaper than the already shaped ones) and can be pruned to shape.

you can buy turf with wild flowers in it,but check the reliability of them.i read a recent report that someone bought some turf from a big name retailer which was full of wild flowers-dandelions. id say sow some seeds now, dont forget yellow rattle these keep grasses down, but can be invasive, lots of info out there on sowing wildflower lawns, good luck.

Do you have a gardening club in your area? If so, I would recommend you to join it. There are always people who are willing to give you advice, share plants and cuttings, and will be able to tell you what grows well in their own gardens. Spend your money on a couple of "statement" shrubs/trees but you should be able to easily fill the rest of the space with free offerings from other keen gardeners. I pot up almost every seedling in my garden and give them away in spring and autumn in return for a small donation to my chosen charity.