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

That is so kind lixy. Thank you. The year round point you make is a very good one. At present its very plain garden - inevitably. But I don't want it to be in the winter.

As I explore this more, through the helpful comments here, I am verging more and more to a wildlife friendly garden with fruit trees / bushes too.

A trellis with a couple of plants would give you a year-round interest - say a clematis as Callistemon suggest and also a winter flowering jasmine and possibly a star jasmine?
That would give you something to look at and something for the bees/moths for most of the year. You would need to prune them each year to stop all the interest being at the top of the trellis.

Fruit trees are available as bare-rooted plants at the moment - much cheaper than pot grown ones. In the NE you might have to protect them with fleece over the winter?

While I'm on a winter theme you might want to look at something like a winter-flowering honeysuckle (grows quite big) or a sarcococca (trim to keep its shape) bu=y the back door - both have amazing winter perfume.

For this year maybe a few pots of bulbs to cheer the corners up?
You can really have fun with this! Hope you enjoy it.
GN is great for practical advice, so just keep right on asking away!

Germanshepherdsmum

Do you mean trellis?

Yes.

However I have to say that I am disinclined to answer your questions after your rude comment about me, and failure to apologise for it. I only recently joined gransnet after hearing it was a good place to be however.... hopefully you are an exception.

-- for some reason I've had difficulty in accessing - so I, Douglas2, have now become Douglas2b.

Sorry for any confusion this may cause.

Bad luck on that house, Callistemon!

We’re in a farming area and my SIL is a farmer, Maizie so soil/manure shouldn’t be an issue.

SueDonim

Callistemon my thoughts are that roots could go through into the ground. It’s just grass right now. Basically, I’m trying to avoid having to dig! There are fences there already so this would be to soften the look and provide a bit of privacy.

I think it's a great idea, but raised beds need more soil and /or manure to fill them than you'd initially imagine... Do you have a good source of topsoil and manure?

Charles Dowding is quite inspirational on the topic of 'no dig'. He's worth a google ?

It was something I'd thought of when I saw a property for sale with a rectangular, flat garden, SueDonim. It seemed an ideal solution and would avoid bending too.

We didn't buy the property, bad timing.

Callistemon my thoughts are that roots could go through into the ground. It’s just grass right now. Basically, I’m trying to avoid having to dig! There are fences there already so this would be to soften the look and provide a bit of privacy.

SueDonim

Is it ok to still ask questions on this thread? Thinking about my new build garden, I want to grow something in front of the rather bald fences between us and next door that would give height. I was thinking about whether I should just plant direct into the current soil or whether to have like raised beds, which would be open to the ground but could be filled with better soil. Is that even possible?

Would the raised beds need watering or can the roots go through to the ground?

I thin there are restrictions on the height of shrubs used for fencing too.

Trellis with perhaps a clematis growing up it?

Do you mean trellis?

I am so grateful for all the kind advice. And for your information I am here Germanshepherdsmum hello [grin}- please don't accuse me of bad manners, I have replied during the discussion - are you a group administrator, by the way?

I simply am taking in the fantastic answers and may not respond as quickly as some of you would like.

Thank you, to the kind and thooughtful people - I am a bit overwhelmed by it all!!

To answer one or two points which Mawthemerrier raises the garden is south facing. Very few plants in it and I feel the soil may need improving.
I'm in NE of England, so cold winters.

I like the idea of fruit trees against the fence to 'soften' the appearance, and of course of the fruit itself.

Now - Here is a photo looking in the other direction - you'll see a big bit of decking is there. Now what I really want there is some height - for privacy but not too much to retain sun. I was thinking of fruit trees in large containers, say, with perhaps, in some way, a trestle at the end of the soil marking the decking area as a small quiet zone.

Is it ok to still ask questions on this thread? Thinking about my new build garden, I want to grow something in front of the rather bald fences between us and next door that would give height. I was thinking about whether I should just plant direct into the current soil or whether to have like raised beds, which would be open to the ground but could be filled with better soil. Is that even possible?

in pots there are many low maintenance shrubs that are evergreen and hardy too.Camellias are lovely and you can clip if they become too large.Also euonymous of every shape and size, lovely variagated foliage.Also large Hostas, but not evergreen.

Hi Douglas ,

You aren't taking an exam for the RHS .

I've planted enough gardens to know that people aren't too bothered about soil testing and whether their garden faces North and South .

They wanted pink roses in memory of their mum and lavender for a grandmother .

My suggestions are pretty typical of what thrives in an English garden .

My only reservation is that some plants aren't doing well as it's hotter than it was .

Collecting rainwater is a great idea .

Have a look at your neighbours gardens ,take photos , ask around - keen gardeners will give you plants and advice for free and lots of it .

Gardeners World and Carol Klein will inspire you .

Go to the local nursery ask their advice and buy what appeals to you .

If you have grandkids you might want to make a themed garden .

I did Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and I've also done buried treasure .

Just have fun with it !

Something I read years ago was 'always plant in odd numbers' ie a single Bush, clumps of 3 or 5 perennials etc.

Obviously, with a wildflower patch it would be random.

A garden designer on TV last week said repetition is key to good design.
Some attractive large pots planted up always look good when placed among the flowers.

MaizieD

Callistemon21

Our compost must be full of weed seeds, it seems to produce more weeds than ever when it's spread around.

My horse manure is like that, too ?

It's probably because neither your compost nor my manure gets hot enough to kill the weed seeds.

Oh, interesting.

The horse manure was practically soil, dug up from a corner of a friend's field where she kept her horses. Lovely stuff but the weeds sprouted.
The compost was from our own heap.

Germanshepherdsmum

Yes Maizie, it does matter. Questions were asked in order to give the best advice - all of which were ignored. Bad manners.

Amazing how even a gardening thread can be turned into a bun fight.

I'm sure if the OP does return they'll feel really welcomed by being told they have bad manners.

Yes Maizie, it does matter. Questions were asked in order to give the best advice - all of which were ignored. Bad manners.

Heigh ho!
Another OP last seen disappearing over the horizon ?

Callistemon21

Our compost must be full of weed seeds, it seems to produce more weeds than ever when it's spread around.

My horse manure is like that, too ?

It's probably because neither your compost nor my manure gets hot enough to kill the weed seeds.

Germanshepherdsmum

Douglas seems to have disappeared.

Does it matter?

Douglas seems to have disappeared.

Some very good advice re soil, aspect, planting etc.

Personally I think you'll have missed a trick if you do not put fruit bushes or small fruit trees in. With the current cost of food items things like blueberries, apples, figs, plums etc are a treat out of your own garden. Definitely worth looking at depending on your initial planting budget.

Enjoy your garden.