Any ideas?

[piginboots]

After having scaffolding up for the past few months our front garden looks like a bomb site. Still a couple of shrubs and I can see some bulbs breaking through but mostly just bare earth. We still need to get the front windows done (which could happen any time from Feb -May) so it will no doubt get trampled again but does anyone have ideas for quick growing, cheap and cheerful plants to make it a bit more pleasant in the meantime? I was thinking snowdrops (too late to plant?) or wildflowers (when would they come up though?). I am a complete novice at gardening so any advice would be appreciated! Thanks!

[piginboots]

P.s. it's south facing and clay soil if that makes a difference..

[shovetheholly]

Do you know what is in the bed, or is it a new house? I ask because some bulbs are only just poking through the soil, and if the bed is unfamiliar, there could be more in there that haven't shown themselves yet.

Your problem is that the growing season doesn't really get going until April/May so anything you plant now is unlikely to do much until the exact time when it'll be flattened . In fact, May is a great time of year for planting things out, so I would leave putting in anything permanent until after you've had your windows done.

What you could do is to put together some pretty pots that will disguise the mess for the next few months - something like cyclamen, ornamental ivy, spring bulbs will look nice. You're too late to plant these really so buying pots that are in flower already is probably the way forward. It's going to be a little expensive but after flowering, when the leaves have died back, you can replant them in the border to enjoy next year.

[piginboots]

Thank you shove . We've been here a year and a half. There was a lot in the garden although most of the bulbs were around the edge (it's the middle section that is totally flattened!). There were some foxgloves in the middle actually - sorry to be dense but I have no idea if they are bulbs or not! If I can't see sign of them now does that mean they're totally destroyed?

In the meantime I have cleared away some of the mess and planted some daffodils.

[shovetheholly]

Foxgloves aren't bulbs and most of them are evergreen, so I'm afraid that if they have vanished those particular ones are probably destroyed. That said, they are biennials so they tend to be short-lived and will die after a couple of years. Many varieties self seed so you might get new ones sprouting up once the soil is back to normal!

A few bulbs will make a world of difference. Everything looks really dank and dreak this time of year - even without clodhopping builders' boots to contend with!