Does anyone want to help me jazz up my garden?

[ditavonteesed]

I have taken some photos this morning although I cant work out how to put them on, i love my garedn but it just looks a bit flat and uncared for. we have a lawn with borders, one side has pots and the other shrubs, chicken run is on the shrubs edge, then a patio which is really ugly with chiminea and sitting furnoture on. It just has no sparkle to it. I have finally got the house how I want it and I smile whenever I walk in but the garden just isnt us. I will put photos on as soon as I work it out.

Yes I too get that OP loves colour- was wondering about ceanothus
compare.ebay.co.uk/like/170896507129?var=lv&var=sbar&_lwgsi=y&cbt=y&device=c&adtype=pla&crdt=0&ff3=1&ff11=ICEP3.0.0&ff12=67&ff13=80&ff14=66&ff19=0
Pots and pot plants dont have to be expensive- old sinks and kettles are fine to plant up

Quint they are perennials but would also like to hear suggestions as there are so many Campanula its hard to know which ones to choose.

I got a whole load of really cheap pots one and painted them

I don't think they are annuals Quint cos mine come up every year. Most of them I bought nearly 15 years ago and planted in pots around the bases of rose bushes when I lived in my flat and had a patio garden. When we moved I planted the roses in the garden and obviously the campanula came with them. They've spread around and filled out all the spaces in my garden. I've done nothing. I barely water them!

My campanulas look like this

Dita if you like colour you have to get some of these. Too late to plant them now, but next spring.. You can start them off in a DIY propagator. Collect as many loo roll tubes as you can, and plastic fruit trays (the sort of things grapes come in), early next spring fill the loo roll tubes with compost, place them in the plastic trays. Add a pinch of seeds to each one. Water well, and place in a sunny spot. Keep moist, and when they're a couple of inches high you can start hardening them up (if you have a greenhouse you can take them outside once we're past the risk of frost or buy a cold frame - I got a cheapy from Homebase for £10). Then when night time temps are usually no lower than about 8 degrees you can plant them out in the soil where you want them to flower.

It sounds a faff but it's not really and they're super lovely. They're perennial so they'll come up each year, plus if you leave the seed heads on when they've finished flowering they'll spread too.

there are some pictures of toilet roll propagators on here because my description's a bit rambling :o

I would also dig out some beds (maybe in early autumn as someone else suggested) - what really works in a small garden is to make the grass a definite shape eg a big circle or oval or square or even a more irregular shape - it gives your eye something to focus on in the actual garden and will pull the whole thing together.

I would be careful about pots too. They are quite a lot of work and expensive and too many can just make the place look cluttered.

Catmint is a really good alternative to lavender. Flowers last longer and it's easier to look after.

And pots take too much watering

this type of campanula
apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector/plant?plantid=306

these agapanthushttp:
//www.rhsplants.co.uk/rhs-offers-june-2013-agapanthus/

these great value perennials
www.thompson-morgan.com/flowers/flower-plants/perennial-and-biennial-plants/perennial-collection-a-and-b-and-weed-beater-collection/p92381TM

What soil do you have? We are south facing sun baked chalk and lavender does brilliantly here, and rosemary. I echo pots, great for splashes of colour tulips in spring, then annuals or lilies or whatever in summer.

Self seeders that do well here and are great for that cottage garden slightly unkempt look are aquilegia, (you get lots of different colours when they self seed ), sweet rocket, dill, chives.

Roses fed twice a year aren't much bother and are just gorgeous. They go esp well w lavender.

well I can tell you I now have an iris blue bench and a reseeded lawn (and a slightly sore back)

You dont have to spend alot of money on pots.
Wilkos sell brightly coloured trugs for £5

www.wilko.com/search?q=trug&searchsubmit.x=0&searchsubmit.y=0

Use a hot Skewer to put some holes in the bottom, stick an old jumper or t shirt at the bottom with a few pebbles and a bag of compost. Stand them on a couple of old bricks and plant up with any bedding plants that you can get cheap in b&q plants of doom corner. Then just water

Wow you are quick Dita!

shall I take a pic? oh go on then

Fabulous choice of colour! Well done! Plant some irises too, to match, as long as the chickens dont peck at them!

thanks if the grass seed takes it should make a big difference, I love the colour.

ooh, the bench looks great!

Definitely need some lovely bright red poppies to make a colour statement!

Grass seed? THIS is what you really want, Dita

The bench looks grest

oooo lady mud now we are talking

Great thread! Love the new look bench

My garden looks not dissimilar to yours dita ATM - the suggestions for border plants are very useful!

dita - great name. I pounced on this thread because you did the reverse of what we did in our "new" house. All the work went into the garden for two years, and the house looks, ahem, lived in. Your bench is lovely.

Second the "rooming" of the garden. Pots aren't bad as long as they're big, so don't have to be watered as often, and have plants that can take a bit of stick. The big pots mean they need to be statement plants. I like painting them, too.

Bamboo is fine as long as it's clumping, manured and gets plenty of water. Ignore this at your peril. :o

I'd paint the entire back of the house a pale yellow. Or vivid blue. But than that's me.

Your bench looks great! Lovely colour.