Help planning a garden

[MrsJonesAndMe]

Hello Ladies, never been in here before as both DH and I are not green fingered.

We have our back garden pretty much sorted with plants, a raised bed and a little pond...but the front needs work.

We have had grass before, but these horrid weeds just kept coming through from next door who don't do anything - gravelled - so a few years ago we killed it all off by putting weed killer and sheeting over and then went for bark. We've managed to maintain a few foot square of whatever we fancy in a corner - bulbs like daffodils, wild flower seeds and some bedding plants and there's a few rose bushes that survived it all... but it looks dated, messy and well horrible.

It's on a bit of a slope - not steep, so guessing I'd need to plant taller things at the back and work down? Also advice on things that will cover quickly, what time of year to start a project such as this, things that will provide colour and interest through the year.... anything really!

Thanks in advance or as appropriate to time of day

How big is the space MrsJ? And is it sunny/shaded?

Photo required and aspect!

Or a diagram .

hello MrsJ yes a diagram with approx size , which way the sun comes , and any tall fences/hedges/trees would be very helpful.
For low maintenance , I would basically suggest a range of evergreen shrubs of different heights and habit , ( some small dome shape, some tall and slim , some with arching branches ) then maybe some bulbs and perennials . Then cover the rest of the bare earth with bark to cut down on weeding
My only caveat is that anything considered quick ground cover tends to overwhelm everything else given half the chance !

Thanks all....hmm if I go and measure things and think about it too much I will have to do it!

Good point book don't want something that'll take over. Maybe I should just invite you all round to have a look!

Maybe I should just invite you all round to have a look! many years ago I belonged to an internet gardening group which used to have real-life meets in each others gardens, with a picnic and lots of plant swaps. I don't think you'd dare do that now! - invite people you knew only from the internet into your home.

I've made quite a lot of online friends and have met book in real life

I have so far determined that it gets morning sun - faces North East

Oh and the soil is rubbish clay so we'd have to work that into something useful too.

I shall endeavour to come back with a diagram - bear with me!

Promised diagram. Been watching the sun. It shines on there in the morning, then goes round the back of the house and has more sun in the afternoon.

so it's the 4m x 5m bit you want to turn into a flower bed? that's quite a bit of gardening? are you happy to grass or gravel some of it or do you want it all as flower bed?

Grass doesn't do well due to neighbours' lack of weed control, so planting with bark in the interim as we've got it already barked and possibly stone later to match the existing path?

Yes it's quite a big project. Part of that section already has some bulbs, primulas and bedding plants in, but it's the back cut off section, so an area of maybe 5x3 that is currently bare.

I think I would put down some stepping stone paving slabs, so you can get to the plants if needed and put in some hardy geraniums and any hardy bedding plants for that matter.

I'd go for an evergreen arrangement, a border within block paving/slabs. Differing heights, slow/low growing/spreading conifer/evergreens, max height 4'.

My neighbour did this years ago where I lived previously and it looked brilliant. Keep saying I'm going to do it in our front garden, as we are north facing and have a narrow strip of lawn which is pointless.

I'll try and find a pic of something similar.

Sort of like this.

You'd need dwarf conifers for this I think.

Thanks for all the input. I'm leaning towards green stuff that will look after themselves and some flowering things in between. You can buy ready planned stuff from Homebase - haven't looked into it elsewhere/if you could get tailored ones. But basically it's a planting scheme with plants in a bundle....