Gardening Virgin- don't know where to begin :(

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I grew up in a small Victorian house with a yard at the back and a front door that opened directly out into the street. I've moved around a lot but have never lived anywhere with a garden. We've recently moved into an Edwardian terrace with a bland entrance at the front and a beautiful but small garden at the back. I love it. The problem is, I'm beside myself with worry about how I can maintain the garden or make the front look pretty because I have ZERO gardening skills. I don't even know how to plant plants! I also have a tendency to kill houseplants- not through neglect- because I don't know what they need and end up overwatering them or adding too much feed to the water.

Can anyone give me tips on how to look after a garden please? What do I need to do over the autumn/winter months? Which tools should I invest in? We have a small shed at the end- how often do in need to paint it to make it watertight? What is soil? Compost? Topsoil?

Is there an organisation I can join that will hold my hand while I up skill myself re: being green? Or a website or popular YouTubers who can give me an idea what I need to do? I know this sounds like a windup but I really need help and I'm too embarrassed to ask anyone in real life.

Picture of the garden ❤️❤️❤️

Oh I'm so excited for you!

Tbh you can probably leave it to benign neglect over winter and it'll be fine!

I'm very much a fair weather gardener!

With gardens, it's often best to do little to them in the first year but observe. You'll learn the hot spots, cold spots, windy spots, sheltered spots...The bits that get soggy and the bits that get very dry. You'll learn where the sun hits at different times of the day. And you'll learn what plants come up in different seasons!

I'd focus on identifying what's there and some light maintenance - gentle weeding, a bit of a mow. Rake up any leaves.

Think about anything you'd ideally like to plant (and then see if you have right growing conditions for it) and think about how you want to use the garden.

The rest will come much easier once you've say back and watched and thought :) plenty of time to learn details!

Gardeners World on BBC is a great intro to gardening. It doesn't broadcast over the winter so you're in time to catch the end of the season, they always give tips and "jobs for the weekend" each week. Huge back catalogue on iplayer.

Just learn bits and pieces as you go, as you need to learn them. Gardening is a lot of trial and error and you'll make plenty of mistakes along the way but its so rewarding :)

Thank you, that is wise advice. But, to add context to my original post, on the right of the photo, you might be able to see two plants I planted to add a bit of colour to the garden and as a 'oooh, I'll remember these as the first plants I planted in my new house' kind of thing and they're already dead! They were outdoor plants from Lidl so nothing extravagant but where have I gone wrong with them?

Sorry another post!

There might be a local gardening club. Or if you live near a RHS garden the staff are always helpful. Everyone welcomes newbies! No shame in no just starting out, just lots of joy to come :)

Lots of ppl on social media too.

Re houseplants - general rule is that soil should always feel damp and you don't want the roots sitting in water for any length of time, so if a few hours after watering there's still water in the pot, drain it away.

Congratulations on your new house and welcome to the world of gardening!

Gardeners love sharing their knowledge, don’t be embarrassed or afraid to ask! If you spot neighbour with a lovely garden, get chatting. There’s probably a local gardening club that you can join.

There are hundreds if not thousands of books on gardening, do you have a local library? Try not to get overwhelmed with information, no one has time to do everything you should/could do. There is a great (rather old but still good) series called ‘the expert’ series by D G Hessayon, try those, there’s a starter general book photo below. Gives you all the basics. If you are interested in a certain area, you can then buy the book on the subject e.g. growing fruit and vegetables.

Anyway, autumn is the time to plant bulbs to look lovely in the spring - daffodils, tulips, crocus, snowdrops etc. They will have the instructions on the pack and most will come back year after year.

Most of all, enjoy it!

Are they dead or wintering? Do you know what they are?

If actually dead probably just not right for the spot - either too much/too little light/heat/rain. Most plants come with some guidance about where to plant.

Lots of info of RHS website too.

P.s. you'll probably want to bring those potted palms in before the frost

Do I need to cut this holly tree (I think) back so the branches don't cover the shed roof? Also, I'm pretty sure there's a grave of the previous owner's pet under here where the arrow points to (the ground is flat and there's a big rock as a headstone), do I dig that up or plant on top of the grave? 🙈

I don't know the term wintering before your post! I have no idea!!!

Yes, the plant in the red pot and the little ones surrounding it are houseplants we've recently been given. I parked them outside to keep them safe from being knocked over by the DC! They'll come in when I can find a place for them!

Didn't*

We have an active allotment society locally. I could always reach out to them I suppose. I'm just scared of being laughed at. I really want to be good at gardening though so might just have to brave it...

Lol I'm not sure "wintering" is a proper garden term but it works and people know what I mean

You absolutely won't be laughed at!

Re dead plants, there are different types of plants. Some only live for a few weeks and then die, they are grown from seed every year. These are called annuals. Some ‘hibernate’ in the winter, look dead, maybe disappear completely but pop up again or spring to life again next year. These are called ‘perennials’. Some keep their leaves all year round, some lose their leaves in the autumn and grow new ones in the spring.

Some plants need full sun, some need shade.

As PP said, the golden rule with a new garden is don’t be in too much of a hurry, watch it for a year, all sorts of things might appear.

Seriously watch some GW on BBC. They started a new thing during lockdown where people filmed their own little gardening exploits and sent it in - loads of beginners, you'll see you're not alone!

@Whatevergetsyouthroughthenight thank you for that book- seems like it's exactly what I'm looking for. I need a guide and mentor- my neighbour's garden is beautiful. She's always got gorgeous birds and squirrels coming over. I don't want them in the garden (found a dead bird earlier and was almost sick seeing it's innards hanging out) but might ask if she's willing to teach me a few things.

If they were 'annuals' that means they won't come back - that's just their natural life cycle end! Can't see which plants you mean though so could be what @GobbolinoTheWitchesCat said too.

Perennials are plants that keep coming back year on year.

My favourite perennials for colour and growth all year round are photinia, heuchera, hebes and loropetalum.

My biggest tip would be to mainly go for perennial shrubs (for all year round foliage) that fill up the space and then dot around with bulbs (for things that will come up in the spring) and perennial flowering plants (that will come up in the summer) like lupins and foxgloves.

I try to stick to a colour palette of deep pinks and purples, including the colour of the foliage of the plants in my garden!

Can I ask about potted plants please- like the photos attached. Can they stay in pots forever and ever or need to be planted into the ground at some point? Do they need their soil changing at any point? Any feed?

I'm scouring FB marketplace atm for plants to add an instant facelift to the front of the house but can't believe how expensive plants are :(

Thank you for your plant suggestions- I'll look them up. And I love the idea of a colour scheme- My late mum's favourite flower/plant was fuschia so I'll definitely be getting some of that!

The conifers are pretty hardy (meaning hard kill and able to withstand cold winters), so they don't need much. Keep them in pots or plant them out. Unless they're a dwarf variety they may grow very well when planted out!

Is that a bay tree? My phones not great with pictures today...I don't have them myself but think they're usually OK outside, I would probably make sure it's sheltered over winter though.

I have lots of pots because I rent and generally refresh the compost yearly. I don't feed routinely unless they look like they need it.

Congrats on the new place! I'm a novice too and have recently moved from a flat, to 1/3 acre block with absolutely no garden/shrubs/grass- except for 1 tree. (derelict property we are renovating).

I joined the gardeners world forum- which has various areas such as garden design, fruit/veg, problem solving etc where you can post pics and questions.

I'd be tempted to leave the garden as in and watch what comes up. Despite the derelict state of our mud garden, we found some spring bulbs came up, along with asparagus- right in the middle of a footpath!

I've bought bulbs such as tulips, daffs and dahlia from lidl/aldi/asda which are inexpensive, but provide spring and summer colour.

www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/gardening-for-beginners-10-tips/

www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/

www.rhs.org.uk/advice/beginners-guide

Thank you/ all very useful :)