PLEASE HELP!!! I DON'T KNOW WHICH PLANTS TO BUY!!! GARDENING VIRGIN!!!

[tahira]

Hi
We've just £3k on getting our garden landscaped and I don't want to ruin it!!!

I just went to buy a climber from ebay and just discovered in the nick of time that it was toxic. Luckily I hadn't bid already.

My garden is very plain with a few trees, lawn and patio. I want some plants in 2 55x55cm planters that will look stunning!!! They will go on the patio on either side of the conservatory door-one of them must be a climber or something that will cover the view from our troublesome neighbours!!! I was thinking of a lovely grape vine.

Please, any suggestions will be welcome as I'm a real gardening idiot and don't want to buy the wrong thing!!!

It's a mixture of what you like and what will suit your garden in terms of light (and usually soil, but if you're only planting in containers that won't apply).

Go round a couple of garden centres and make notes of the plants you like the look of. They should be able to advise you whether they will do well in sun/shade/whatever.

If you have a sunny spot, my favourites for tubs are plain red geraniums. Very uncomplicated and will last all summer. Not so sure about climbers - and you will need a trellis for most climbers.

Also, try the website at www.crocus.co.uk which is excellent for basic advice on what plants will grow where. You can order from them as well, but they're more expensive than garden centres.

Climbers - I like a clematis myself. A good beginners one is mile a minute montana.

am just planting in containers at the moment as the previous owners had put so much foliage in a small place-it had become a rainforest (you could hardly see the sky and I'm NOT joking).

I've just bought a climbing rose for a container which is 55x55cm.

Any tips for its maintenance??