Where to even start...

[Luckyelephant1]

I'm finally at a stage in life where I have a garden that can be used. It's bare and crying out for some flowers, plants, anything! There's some old uneven beds that we can tidy up and start planting in... but I have no idea what to do.

I've never gardened or potted anything in my life. Ashamed to say I had a big garden growing up yet never once took an interest in gardening and used to scoff when mum asked if I wanted to help 😳. I can barely keep an indoor house plant alive.

Any tips on where to start? Or suggestions of good books and tutorials for complete beginners? I'm a fan of lots of colour, variety and slightly higgledy piggledy looking gardens if that makes sense, like the secret garden type vibe as opposed to a square, sterile garden with fake grass and two potted plants.

Any tips for a total newbie much appreciated.

Sounds to me like you need to go planter shopping! Make sure you can reach them all with a hose, watering pots in high summer is no fun.

Strong recommend for agapanthus.

If you have cool light indoor space you can save lots by buying in plugs of things like fuchsia, osteospermum, verbena, bacopa, argyranthemum and such like. Then pot them up and grow them on until the frosts are gone and you can get them out into the planters.

If it’s not your forever home, it sounds like structurally it’s ok. Did you mean DH was doing the step, or the lawn. You can reinvigorate the lawn quite cheaply by getting a spring lawn treatment, then keep it watered for the next month or so.

Add plenty of compost to the borders, old and new before you even think about plants.

Potter around the local garden centre they tend to sell things that are fairly safe as they don’t want returns so they are likely to suit your area. The exception to this are things like camellia and azalea as they like erricaceous soil (acid) so around here we grow them in pots.

David Austen rose site is very good as you can put in your soil and aspect situation and it gives you options of which one will be best.

Local farm shops are usually a good way of picking up cheaper plants.

Wow some amazing advice here thank you so much! So I'll I'll start with getting the soil sorted ASAP and in the meantime research all these plants mentioned on here!

@florentina1 summer jasmine sounds right up my street will definitely look into that.
@senua yeah lawn for LO and the rest for me and others to enjoy.
@billybagpuss I meant DH is doing the lawn, I'll suggest what you said and just leave him to it 😂

I’ve just had a gardener round to quote for re-doing our small front garden: priorities being low maintenance and wildlife friendly. He suggested a prairie garden which he often uses in borders in larger gardens and looks ideal (and cheap - bonus!). RHS has some info here: www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=1025

We did have beautiful lavender but just didn’t have the consistent weather for it to stay happy. RIP pretty lavender!

@Luckyelephant1

David Austin roses are beautiful and the scent is divine.
Wait til winter and bareroots though- a lot more economical.

If you're going to be very pregnant, it's probably best to just have some cheap and cheerful bedding this year- I really struggled while pregnant as I couldn't actually get down to do anything and then after DS was born, well sleep deprivation and PND..... He's now almost 4 and my little assistant gardener!

Wait til winter and bareroots though- a lot more economical

Re David Austen roses.

Or get in quick I ordered a bare root one this week and it was dispatched yesterday

@billybagpuss
Don't be a bad influence on me! I'm trying to just sort my seeds etc at the moment. Bad enough I've got the Dahlias still to come!

[quote Harrysmummy246]@billybagpuss
Don't be a bad influence on me! I'm trying to just sort my seeds etc at the moment. Bad enough I've got the Dahlias still to come![/quote]

I ordered a Ronald Dahl, it’s got big ‘giant peach’ blooms ind will be happy up against a shady wall.

I've got a Roald Dahl that we ordered last autumn and has gone in. Also a Charles Darwin, because well, I've got a biology degree. Then 3 different ramblers to give some colour on our newly laid hedges. Already had a Gertrude Jekyll and a Munstead Wood plus one which I've lost the label on which might well be Darcey Bussell. I'm pretty sure one of the roses left by the people we bought the house from is a DA as well but no hope of a label facepalm

some interesting ideas here including small+awkward etc
www.wildroof.co.uk/before-after.php

There was a 2-part programme on channel 5 recently, which was excellent. Gardening with Carol Klein I think - it's still on iplayer. Covers the real basics of planting for shade, moving and potting up plants, sowing seeds, taking cuttings etc. It's still on My5, well worth a look.
In terms of plants - look for offers on the Thompson and Morgan site. They often do offers on "plug plants" - tiny wee things that likely won't flower until next year, but you get a lot for not very much money. I got some last year and they're doing fine, and I have some more on order - 72 plants for £14.99 or something. If you're near a Homemade, they have some offers on at the moment - good range of perennials and climbers 3 for £12.
The RHS publish some good books for beginners - my favourite is called something like "How to Garden" and covers pretty much everything you could think of including assessing your plot, types of garden (cottage, formal, meadow etc), how to do all the basics and suggestions of plants and shrubs. Have fun!

Sorry, not iplayer- My5.