Any suggestions? *photo*

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I am a hopeless gardener and was wondering if any of you green fingered experts could give me some suggestions on what I could do with my small garden. We have just removed an old trampoline from up against the fence and want to put some plants/trees/shrubs in. The garden faces south west so the back fence is mostly shady, while the fence on the right is in the sun. I think I need a bit of height to hide the expanse of fence and maybe a tree or tall shrub in the bottom corner. Would really appreciate any help or suggestions

I don’t know if you’ll be able to grow anything in the ground in front of those conifers as they often make the soil around them inhospitable and cast fairly deep shade, along that hedge i would first put a very cheap plastic window box filled with a shade tolerant plant first; ferns, possibly Hosta and/or heuchera and if they do well, I would then bury deep trough planters all along that side, fill with compost and put the shade tolerant plant/s in there.

I’d paint the fences and grow either fan trained trees or a climber like a rose or something on a wire system against them.

Under the trees or climbers I’d plant some nice long flowering flowers, things like lavender, erysium, echinacea, snow in summer, Achillea, bush roses..

Think it’s too late now but later in the year I’d plant lots and lots of spring flowering bulbs in that lawn.

Thank you for the ideas.... I hadn't even thought about growing anything under the hedge
I was thinking maybe about a cherry blossom tree in the bottom right corner but not sure as it may be too big for the space. I love lavender and hostas but will have to google the other plants you mention.

You may find that the shade is too deep hence trying first with 1 shade plant you’d like to try, like a Hosta for example, in a very cheap pot.

If it grows alright then fork out for more in big, deep troughs either sunk down into the ground so it looks like a natural border or just on top of the grass if you get pretty enough troughs.

The plastic window boxes can often be picked up for 50p - £1 but any old pot would do.

I don’t think you’d be able to plant without the help of pots and compost as conifers usually bake the soil around them too dry to be hospitable.

You can get dwarf cherry trees?

www.pippintrees.co.uk/trees/flowering-cherry-trees/prunus-incisa-kojo-no-mai

www.pippintrees.co.uk/trees/flowering-cherry-trees/japanese-flowering-cherry/prunus-kiku-shidare-zakura

www.pippintrees.co.uk/trees/flowering-cherry-trees/prunus-incisa-frilly-frock

Hosta is a shade plant and lavender likes a hot sunny spot so don’t plant them together!

I think a small tree would sit nicely in that back corner. You can get small trees for small gardens. We have a pair in our little front garden that will only grow to 3 metres. They are Amalanchias. White blossom, autumn red leaves

I would chose either something very pretty, with blossom and autumn colour, and/or pretty shaped leaves.
Or something that will give you fruit in the autumn like an apple tree.

You can get tiny cherry trees and apple trees.

Google small trees will get you trees abotu 5 m, google tiny trees to find smaller.

When you plant a tree, you should make a circle about 1m radius under the tree and remove the grass. This is so it gets enough water etc in the first years. You can put some spring bulbs in that circle, and eventually primroses, or bedding plants, once the tree is established.

On the fence, nearer the house, a clematis would look nice. You'll need something for it to climb up. Best to plant into the ground, not a pot. They like their feet in shade, so you could plant some other plants round the base.

Amelanchier lamarkii in the corner and as a large shrub so you can keep it to size.

That is what we have SpyApp they are lovely. Ours have just flowered for the first time, and I really enjoying them.

but personally I would have it as a small tree, gives height and won't grow too large

You'll need something for it to climb up. Best to plant into the ground, not a pot

I think it depends on the clematis variety, a Montana certainly would do best in the ground for sure.

I’d only use pots/troughs for in front of the hedge as the soil is likely really poor there.

You'll need something for it to climb up. Best to plant into the ground, not a pot

My main reason for saying not a pot, is that pots need looking after and especially watering and clematis like lots of water. New gardeners (and inconsistant ones like me) tend not to be so reliable at watering!

Use a darker wood stain on the fence, and your garden will look bigger.
It's an optical illusion, but it really works.

Personally I’d focus on the sunny areas for now. Dig out a wave shaped narrow bed along the two fence sides.

A tree in the corner is a good idea but make sure it doesn’t grow too big and shade the neighbour’s gardens.

I’m a massive fan of climbers- clematis Montana is fast and pretty, and roses and honeysuckle. They are so easy to cut back to the right height or train in a different direction. I’d put four along the fence, with Montana at the bottom. Put a bit of wire horizontally on the fence to help them climb.

I’d put a few shrubs in the bed as I could afford them. I once heard the rule at least 1/3 evergreen, which I think is excellent otherwise the garden looks dead for half the year. Also 1/3 evergreen for the climbers.

For now I’d fill the rest of the bed with annuals- flower seeds from a packet that you can sow direct in the soil and will flower this year. They can fill space while the shrubs mature. Marigold (calendula) are lovely and easy, as are poppies. Just make sure they don’t go too close to the roots of the new plants and steal the nutrients. If you like them then leave them to seed the next year, otherwise dead-head them before they set seed.

I love designing gardens!

Use a darker wood stain on the fence, and your garden will look bigger. smile
It's an optical illusion, but it really works

Perhaps, I like the opposite.
My fences are bright white and I love it!

If it were me, I would plant a small tree, something not too dense, half way along the right hand fence, to break up the rectangle and make it feel that you need to go out into the garden to see it all.Then you could concentrate on shade tolerant stuff in the back corner, not too tall growing.

I just feel that, with the big tree off to the left, it would look too pedestrian to have another tree in the far right corner.

Some great advice... thanks everyone. Think I will focus on the sunny area along the right hand fence and choose a lovely blossom tree and some climbers. I already have clematis Montana on the fence along the side of the house so I will get honeysuckle and climbing roses for variety. Great tip about 1/3 evergreen, I hadn't thought of that.
Any other ideas of tall ish plants/shrubs that will hide the fence appreciated

Ceanothus is a beautiful evergreen shrub. We have a variegated one with purple flowers, about 8’ tall now but can be pruned.

Ceanothus is a beautiful evergreen shrub. We have a variegated one with purple flowers, about 8’ tall now but can be pruned
Gorgeous shrubs, we have a ceanothus repens (I think it’s repens, lost the label!) that is pruned like a little mini tree.
It’s just coming into flower now