We can’t grow literally anything!

[GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat]

Past failures (most in the last 12 months)

Hydrangeas
Fuchsia
Carrots
Hanging baskets
Grass

Latest failures
Sunflowers and wild flower seed bomb.

Literally nothing grows! I’ve tried to keep alive plants and bushes I’ve bought as well as started with seeds. Nowt.

Weed on the other hand.....

Are some people just unable to have lovely gardens?

Worms are good.
I rent so I get a new canvas every few years, generally they’ve been neglected as renting is shit for a keen gardener.

One thing I recommend is manure, I do it twice a year. Once in the autumn and once in the spring, over all the beds. It suppressed the weeds, feeds and improves the soil and the worms do the digging work.
It’s miracle stuff. You need a fair amount as you need to layer it on thick.

The smell goes after a day or so, so don’t panic!!
It’s magic. Genuinely.

It’s really about the right plant in the right spot. how much sun do the beds get? The rhs plant finder is great you can pick shades, part shade or full sun. I have put a few plants in the wrong places and I now just move them, it’s surprising what a difference it makes. From something limping along to blooming. You can’t force a sun lover into a shaded spot.
New plants need a lot of water, for the first spring - summer of a shrubs life I do water it most days just to make sure it settles in.

Onto pots, are you feeding them? I do a liquid feed of seaweed once a week from spring to autumn. I water every other day, unless it’s really hot (watered last night, feeling a bit twitchy and unsure about tonight, so will poke my finger into some pots to decide).
My pot hydrangeas are not looking very good this year either. One has died. I think the past few hot summers may have made them struggle.

I too have a wall bit, it bakes in the summer and is a bog in the winter. So I’ve given up a bit on that! I may just do summer bedding and leave it at that.

Don’t give up. You’ll get there. I have and my lack of green fingers is a running family joke.

I'm no expert but I believe you need drainage holes otherwise the roots become waterlogged and rot.

Also someone recommended miracle gro for hanging baskets as well as ensuring basket has holes for drainage.

Some plants are shade loving so maybe get to a decent garden centre (not Homebase or B&Q) and ask their advice.

You can dig the ground and turn in compost or horse manure to improve the soil as well. If you live rurally, anyone with horses will have a manure pile you can probably raid for free. You’ll want to wear wellies and shovel manure from the Center/bottom of the mound where it’s decomposed to a rich dark colour and has a woody type smell. If it smells of horse poop, it’s too fresh. I do this every year as the flowers and such I plant deplete the soil.

Yes sounds like your hydrangeas May have drowned. Get them in a new pot with some holes and a few bits of broken pots in the bottom to help drainage.

Honestly gardeners question time (radio 4, 3pm on Fridays) and gardeners world (Friday bbc2 random times!) are Brilliant and really useful.

Plants in pots need drainage holes. Also large plants in pots are Susceptible to Vine Weevils. Tip them out and see if there’s little white grubs, is so bin and start again.

But compost and put in pots with drainage holes in the bottom. If you have wee stones or flakes of slate or old broken earthenware pots smash them up and put them in the very bottom of the pot prior to compost. That stops the compost falling down through the homes and provides more drainage.

Re watering, stick your finger right down in the pot as far as it will go. If it feels dry water it. If it feels moist don’t. If it feels almost dry water it.

Watch your plants. They start to wilt if they are thirsty but don’t rely on that. Done you don’t notice it happening until they have copped it. Others are well obvious. Finger test is better for beginners.

Clay soil is quite orange and holds water so gets really heavy and finds it difficult to drain but is rock hard when dry in summer.

Yes for hanging baskets drainage is important too....I like wicker or wire and I line them with coconut fibre before planting.

Another tip- don’t water plants in direct sunshine. It can burn them. Water plants in early morning or evening when it’s shady.

Any cats around? Mines taking to pissed all over anything I plant

Elieza- I still do finger test! It’s best way.

We have a North facing garden and successfully grow all vegetables and fruit we've attempted except aubergines.

My advice is to use new compost each year. Start with the easier ones, root veg, peas, rummers, potatoes.
Only water when we dry. Sometimes that's daily other times 2-3 times a week.

Plant from seed at the right time.

Watering could defo he the problem. Also are you putting plants in the right conditions, for example a shade living plant would die very quickly in a south facing part of the garden that gets sun all day. Most plant labels tell you how much sun the plant wants. Also random question but what is your soil like? If it's very clay like or peaty again you might be only able to grow certain plants? X

Vegetables and most flowers like a sunflower are just never going to grow in a north facing garden unless it's a huge garden

Pop some aquilegia into garden soil. Ensure you have drainage. You will have the start of a perennial garden.
Could slugs be the problem? I find sunflowers hard as they sr

. . . As they are a bit fussy/vulnerable.

Try radishes and strawberries.
Then try mint but dont water it much. Ensure drainage too.

I think it’s probably a lot more work than I imagined!

Plant post must have holes - your hydrangea may have drowned this very wet winter. Can you post a photo?

Aquilega, geraniums, black eyed susans,, chives, fushia, hebe

seem to survive even my neglect

You need to feed your pots! You can’t expect somEthnic to thrive if you starve it. Tomato food or seaweed that you add to water will do it. Flowering bedding plants in small pots need feeding at least once a week to get the flowers growing. Larger pots not so often, as long as the compost is not too old.

Definite need drainage holes in the bottom too.

Something.

The hydrangea failed to grow last year so it is no longer with us. Should I have done anything to stop it drowning? We barely even go in the garden in the winter because it’s always damp and hardly sunny.

Manure and more manure. It really helps with the moisture retention, you need more worms in the ground. Home made compost helps too. Keep improving the soil as much as possible. You don't have to dig it in you can leave it for the worms to pull it down if that's easier for you. And good north facing gardens and plants that do well.

Mil gave me a good tip once for big pots.
Stab the compost deep a few times with a skewer or something and water into that, the water gets down where you want it and you donr needcto water as often.
Not much good for your dead hydrangea but for next time

Roses will grow in clay. But you need to plant them late autumn so they get going before it gets hot.
Put a mulch of bark or something over their roots to stop the weeds.
And do some research into hardy types. I live in a wet area of the country and the 'wonderful flowers all summer' types recommended on garden websites won't do well. Try a local good garden centre. And look in other people's gardens for what thrives.
Japanese anenomes grew well in my north facing garden. And wisteria, it was clay too.