MY GARDEN

[Kiya]

And what to do with it

It's on days like these, beautiful sunshine I wish I had a much nicer garden, but for folks like myself & Roy not green fingered its difficult to think what to do with a massive space.

This is part of my new fencing I'm getting put up, I chose decking cause it looks nicer, thicker & would stand up more to the gales here on a bad day


The only thing to survive in my garden is what I call " my xmas tree "


I acquired the two ornate pieces & named them Jack & Jill, they're really capable of survivng our harsh winter's

This is my top part of the garden, I know the rockery is in a mess just now but can only do a bit at a time...........& these old clothes poles are coming out


As you can see in top part & this the bottom part theres lots of paint work to be done I hoping Roy is in the mood for it when he returns from New York at the weekend

[LovelyLadyLux]

Yards - or I should say - BIG yards can be difficult. As for suggestions as to what to grow I'd start with whatever your neighbours are growing. When you go walk about take photos of what is growing (and thriving) in their yards. Best to ask your neighbours the names of what they're growing but if they don't know a photo to a person working in a plant nursery makes the identification easy. And then grow the same. This helps with a start of what you can be pretty sure WILL grow in your area.

Think of your yard as a blank canvas - draw out a schematic and work on small areas at a time. Typically you'd start with a foundation planting in that you pick a few areas in your yard and then clump a few plants with the same growing habits together. Again the nursery person can tell you what the best background plants are too for this. Plants work best NOT lined up like soldiers but spaced about in clumps so that they look natural. Once you get several of the big foundations plants going this year then the next year you start to tuck in some of the perennials. It is usually the smaller perennials that give colour and add the spots of brightness about the yard.

Good luck with the yard! Keep us posted with pics Gardening can be kinda addictive and once you get started your thumb just starts going green........

[Horus]

My first suggestion Kiya is to get yourself down to B&Q and buy a couple of 9 litre fence paints, Red Cedar is a very nice one, it dries a lovely warm colour and covers agood area and the difference it will make to your garden will be noticeable

[Kiya]

Will have a look for that colour Horus, it does sound a warm colour, I forget right now the name of the colour I usually put on

Between the top & bottom parts of the garden is my shed & slabbed area where we sit in the sun, when we get it

If you look at the bottom area again , at the left Roy wants to build a carport, he is sick of all the skurries dirt that falls on his car & at the right side eventually he wants to get a summer house with a little bar etc & where he can play poker with his friends, his chill out space he says

[Horus]

I like his outside bar idea Kiya

[Grandad]

Not something I can offer any sensible advice for Kiya. Being a born and bred 'townie' we only have small patches that have to pass as a 'garden'. For me the front is block paved with space for 2 or 3 cars and the rear is slabbed all over. A dozen or so pots with a variety of plants and that's it. Easy maintenance

LLL's suggestions seem very sound and Roy's plans for a den with a bar sounds great....I am getting to like your Roy BTW, is he Marshalling at Silverstone????

PS: Your plan MUST include a bench. We have one and there is nothing more enjoyable on a nice evening when the evening meal is done than to wander out and sit on your bench.....and let Roy bring you a big G & T from 'his bar'

[Kiya]

Thanks LLL good idea to look along the neighbours gardens to see what can survive

I think I've always been put off as what to do with it & what to plant being so close to the sea, the sea air seems to get into everything & kills it off.

Grandad I'd be like you with slabing & big pot plants , much easier to maintain

Roy is holidaying in New York at the moment, he will be home on Sunday, his F1 ticket came in this week for 28th - 30th but no he's not marshalling, I think he has to have 2 yrs training, scary stuff at times & very sad to hear of the marshall killed at the last race.

[LovelyLadyLux]

I really enjoy container gardening too. In the yard garden I'm putting bushes and ground covers and perennials - all low maintenance hardy as steel and guaranteed to never die - BUT - for summer colour there is nothing like pots of bright annuals. They are bought here usually flowering, are happy in containers and definitely add bright splops of colour.

[Ruby Slippers]

Kiya, my SIL lives right up on the cliff top at Wick, and she's an ardent gardener. She and her husband used to own a nursery down here in the South before they 'emigrated' to Scotland. Since being widowed, she does a lot of elderly ladies gardens too, so next time I speak to her, I will ask her what type of plants she recommends for 'sea side' gardens.

[Kiya]

Thankyou RS that would help a great deal

[Ruby Slippers]

Hi Kiya, I've spoken to my SIL and here's some suggestions from her:

Rosa Regoza - which is a shrub rose in wonderful colours

Hebe - any

Any herbaceous plants, e.g. Poppies etc.

Shrubby geraniums - not the single ones

Hardy fuchsias

Apart from that she suggests you have a look at what's growing in neighbouring gardens, and possibly ask for cuttings. She also said that her grass never looks any good because of the sea spray etc.

[Kiya]

Thanks RS I have a note of them now I did spot 1 garden on one of the side streets off mine, it is so beautifully laid out with different bushes & low down flowers, I'll have to keep an eye & catch the folks who live there .............I'm not as bold to go knocking on their door

[Ruby Slippers]

Kiya, if it looks as though someone loves their garden and spends a lot of time on it, they are usually extremely flattered to be complimented on it and will be perfectly happy to engage in conversation and give advice. I bet you that if you see someone there while you are walking by and you just say something like, "I like your garden but how do you manage to keep it looking like that?" before you know it you will have made a new friend!

[LovelyLadyLux]

I really quite agree with RS. Most ardent gardens love to show off their treasures and most would love to share cuttings and clippings as well as tips too.

Sorry I had to go and look for the name but Ceanothus - green foliage with purple/blue flowers is able to grow in salt air. It is all over the water fronts here (which are salt water). In large plantings they look quite nice.

[Horus]

Kiya I wholeheartedly agree with RS, most people with a talent to share are usually only too happy to pass on info or help you out, you only have to look at the people on here to realise that. In nine out of ten cases the type of people who have a hobby or enjoy doing something such as gardening, sewing, photography, all sorts of arts and crafts are usually the more friendly outgoing people and love to share their interests, so just go ahead and do what RS has suggested, what have you to lose? You may even find that they offer you cuttings and some reallly good advice and if nothing else you may well make some new friends.

[LovelyLadyLux]

Updates? Made any decisions Kiya?

[Kiya]

Nothing yet LLL................a lot of paint work to be done first

[LovelyLadyLux]

Painting is just werk work. The FUN stuff starts once the plants go in...........waiting on seeing your gardenS.

[Grandad]

As both LLL and Kiya have raised points about plants in my wildlife thread I think it best to move over to Kiya’s garden thread.

My ‘garden’ which is all patio, is very small and even smaller from 1979 when I extended the lounge areas to accommodate a growing teenage family, and to add a workshop for myself. Apart from the bank which has mostly laurel type evergreen bushes to provide some privacy, on the patio we just have pots with various plants some evergreen, some perennial and some annual.
I have said before that I am not green fingered and am quite happy if we have some colour in the summer and generally a very low maintenance arrangement.

I like lots of green and this is provided by hostas, ferns, grasses, a large palm and some evergreens. We add to this about a dozen pots each year usually with geraniums and lobelia or some other border plant. We do have just two bamboos which are now past it because they are pot bound and I will split them at the end of the year. If planted in the ground they will spread rapidly and become difficult to control.

The little acer is about 12 years old and because it lives in a pot it is little more than bonsai. It is lovely light green in the spring and then all the reds in autumn.

Our patio is small but a delightful place to relax on loungers under a parasol on a day like today. It is completely quiet with just the birds and arguing squirrels to break the silence. Add to that at 3pm this afternoon the sound of the parish church bells greeting newlyweds after their wedding ceremony.
Here is a half panorama of our little secluded area where you can see some of the plants I have mentioned plus a few garden ornaments. (Usual panorama distortion I’m afraid)


Kiya, unless you are keen to have a garden with beds I think it is a good idea to use pots because you can easily re-arrange them and you can control the plant growth. I would suggest that you consider Hostas, Ferns, Grasses and bamboos, for all the lovely greens, which in my opinion give a wonderful backing for some added colour also in pots.

[Kiya]

Grandad sorry to say I haven't even started on the garden your pots looks lovely & sounds just what I need in my garden, only thing I don't know one green to the other green fingered I'm not