Where do I start

[pancakes22]

Never gardening before ever and so do not have a clue where to start or what anything is called!

We have a long stretch of bark with membrane underneath to stop weeds coming through but I would really like to get some colour and flowers into the garden this coming here. Just have no idea where to start! Can't believe how expensive flowers and plants are so it's going to be a slow process. I'm presuming because there is the membrane to plant any seeds in going to have to cut a hole in the membrane which makes me paranoid about 'getting it right'.

Any recommendations please on what to start with/any recommendations on what may look nice?/how to start it off/easy maintenance plants?

Thank you x

Reassure yourself that after a few years enough debris collects on top of the membrane to provide a foothold for weeds, so it's not going to get much worse by a few misplaced holes.

You don't actually make holes, you make two slits in the form of a cross, peel the flaps back, plant, then replace the flaps.

If you have a membrane, you're going to want perennial plants, not annual plants that have to be replanted every year. That gives basically hardy perennials, which die down each year and regrow in the spring, or shrubs which stay around all year. Something that's around all year can be a good choice because you can choose something which has flowers in the spring, and berries in autumn with maybe good leaf colour, or good stem colour for winter.

First thing to do is to think about what you'd like. You may feel you have enough trees in the "gardenscape". You might like on or two striking plants against the fence to bring the eye to focus on them rather than on the ?school building behind. Do you want it to be a garden for summer, or attractive to look out on all the year round? Is fragrance important to you? Answer to these questions limit options and make the choice easier.

There's three phases to gardening 1) you're delighted to see everything growing so well 2) you realise the things that were growing so well are perhaps a bit big for the space, and you frantically prune them 3) you start making choices about which plants you really can't be without, and make a wholesale cull of the rest.

That is fantastically helpful thank you. I will start looking out for perennials and just simply now knowing that name exists will be so helpful in the maze of the garden centre! Thank you