Trees are going in what next?

[Chippychop]

My garden is c 30 m x 25m. We are working loosely to a plan and the shape/. Structure is in place , lawn down a couple of projects started eg raised beds, rill aka pond. ( who knows when that will get finished but that's another thread!) regardless of weather there are half a dozen trees going in this weekend around the outside of the garden in the beds. What do we tackle next??? There are no plants at all in the beds (it was a new build plot of land) can I just start putting shrubs in as and where appropriate? Do I need to wait until spring appears? I'm not going to attempt annuals except in pots I don't think.. Any ideas on what is best to tackle next?

Yes, tackle the long term structural stuff like shrubs, bulbs and perennials. You can plant now, as long as the soil isn't frozen or waterlogged. In a couple of weeks' time, garden centres and nurseries will be overflowing with perennials!

Annuals might be useful this year in the borders - they ate useful as quick fillers for the gaps between nearly-planted perennials which are not yet established.

Maud you are always such a help thanks so much. We've been collecting garden vouchers for our birthdays etc so are going to use them for shrubs I think. Can't wait!

Always happy to share the gardening love!

Make sure you allow enough space for your shrubs. Find out eventual height and spread and plant accordingly. Nothing worse than getting three years down the line and realising they are too close to the fence, over-hanging the lawn or growing into each other. You can fill the temporary gaps between them with cheap perennials, or annuals are useful for this too as Maud suggests.