Are there any gardening experts here?

[Sparrowlegs248]

I'm looking for some advice, a few people I've asked are very vague, which I think is the way when you know what you're on about.

I want to sort the first half of my garden out. It's a typical old terrace garden, walled, with path to the left, lawn and L shaped bed to the right and bottom end. quite wide/deep bed with a couple of small trees, and a bush. Few roses. And shit loads of weeds.

Please please can someone advise me on what to plant. It's quite sunny until late afternoon. Should I just concentrate on weeding this year?
I like a cottage garden look. With mostly plants that will stay rather than die each year, if that's possible? Or at detailed instructions of when to plant/remove.

Thank you, I'll be very very grateful for any replies!

Already mentioned - lavender, hardy geraniums (not to be confused with pelargoniums), roses. I’d add the purple wallflower ‘Bowles mauve’ which flowers February to November. For later in the year, Japanese anemones are very pretty. Other ideas - I had a lovely Gaura lindheimeri in a sunny spot which did well for a few years, my neighbours have Oriental poppies which I think are perennials rather than self-seeding. Bigger shrubs - buddleia (I like the darker purple or white ones), Lavatera, pale blue Californian lilac (although may be over flowering by now).

Can anyone tell me what these are please?

And this

Your first picture looks like they will be Japanese anemones.

I also really liked this book for hints and tips. www.amazon.co.uk/First-time-Gardener-Kim-Wilde/dp/0007206828/ref=nodl_?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

I have written a list of all the plants suggested, googled them, crossed a few off, put a couple aside for another shader part of garden and am down to a list of about 12! Tomorrow I hope to dig some compost in and will go to a garden centre armed with my list. Some of the plants are quite similar so I will just see what they have. I'm quite excited!!

Another thing you could do is use a string tied to a stick, put stick about half way up lawn by the path and mark a half circle across the corner where the flower beds meet so that the front of the flower bed is curved rather than the sharp corner it is now. Makes the corner flowerbed a bit wider but softens the shape of that corner. You'd have to remove the turf and dig over the corner and it needs to be a neat edge but might look a bit more interesting.

Hope you have fun at the Garden Centre and tell us what you decide to buy.

I went to the garden centre but forgot my list!! I was pleased that I recognised some plants that I wouldn't have previously. I'm going for a walk to the village as there's a place that sells plants there, not many but if they have sone if what I want I'll get them there and go to the garden centre for the rest.

Don’t go to the big chain garden centres-they are really expensive!

You will probably be better with a local nursery

We have a farm shop with attached garden centre, the prices didn't seem too bad. The place in The village no longer sells plants.

Oh that sounds nice!

One of my favourite tips is from Carol Klein. When buying, inspect the pots carefully. With perennials, you'll sometimes find a pot contains more than one plant - 2+ plants for the price of one.

Your second pic is a hellebore, I think I can see the old flowers underneath the leaves.

Oh and I agree the first are Japanese anenomes. So far you are doing fine with your palette , the hellebore are over for the year though and the anenome will be late summer, pink or white.

My list : hardy geranium, hellebore, phlox, astilbe, nigella, aquilegia, astrantia, cosmos, delphinium, centaura, lavatera, little blue stem, festuca.

Sound ok? Not necessarily all of them but those are the ones I really like.

Sounds perfect.

On gardeners question time on r4, someone suggested with a new area go to the garden centre each month and buy something in bloom that month so that you will have year round colour
I'm a bit too impatient than that tho

Japanese anemones don't mind a bit of shade ime.