How do I actually start?

[Likeaburstcouch]

We recently bought our first house and have a small garden, maybe 7x7m, but about 2x7m is terrace.
It's currently just a lawn. If I want some shrubs for colour and to hide a bit of fence, do I go and buy a shrub and just dig a hole? How much would a big shrub cost?! Is there a chance it would die over winter?

I know this makes me seem like I've never heard of Google. I'm not ignorant- I've read and watched Monty Don and dreamed of making him proud. I've drawn a plan of the garden. I am just overwhelmed.

The soil is clay... I think?

I often recommend the 'Expert' series of gardening books by DG Hessayon - they really are invaluable for beginners, and there are a variety of titles including The Flower Expert, The Tree Expert and the Lawn Expert. Buy a few of them off eBay or from charity shops, they are really cheap and will help you a lot.

The internet is all very well, but it will only answer the questions if you know what to ask, if you get my drift. If you don't know what you don't know, you can read a book from cover to cover and find out.

I would go for flowering shrubs, I have had most success with viburnum, lilac and rhododendron.

Small fruit trees (Apples, pears and plums). That's what I've started with....have yet to plant up the rest of my tiny garden! 😁

Whatever you get, make sure that you know exactly what height they will grow to! We didn't... It's expensive having to get huge trees cut back every couple of years!

Other than that, I'd spend some time browsing in garden centres - preferably not chain ones, as you can get lots of personal advice. Also have a look on garden centre websites, to get an idea what you like. You might be best off digging out a bed, in which case you might need topsoil, or you might want to put a membrane and pebbles to avoid weeds as best you can. You can get grafted trees as they won't grow any taller.

Shrubs can be quite expensive but if you buy them fairly small, they do grow quickly. It was by accident more than design, but in my garden, there is always something in flower or with berries.

Climbers would be good for covering the fence. Take my advice and do NOT get honeysuckle - grows over everything and you can never get rid of it!!

You can't just go for flowering shrubs,you need to know where the garden faces, north,south,east or west, and yes soil type..you can buy pH kit for about a fiver. Think about how much time you want to devote to the garden. A place to sit out, grow a bit of veg, salad,any kids to play animals. It's very difficult in a small space to get plants or shrubs that will look nice all year. Alan Titchmarsh has some good books for beginners.

I am just overwhelmed.
Break it down into bite-sized chunks.
It's good that you have a plan. That comes first before any planting.
It's a nice idea to have a tree, for height.
Have a look at your neighbours' gardens. What grows well for them? It's probably best not to plant shrubs at the moment as it's the hottest, driest part of the year. Spend the time researching and then plant in the autumn.
Don't forget that the library will have gardening books.

Do you have a family member who is keen on gardening? Maybe ask them if you can go round to their garden so they can talk to you about all the plants and shrubs they have. Better still, take them with you if you are going to a garden centre, and let them help you choose the right plants for your garden.

If you want a bush with white flowers for instance, the first few things you need to decide are the time of year you want it to flower, how much attention in the way of pruning and feeding you are prepared to give, whether you want something evergreen or will you be happy if it is deciduous and loses its leaves over winter, and last but not least, how big it will eventually get. Once you have decided those things you can then narrow your search down to a choice of just a few instead of being bewildered by hundreds.

When you repeat that process with every choice, it will take several years to develop the garden but that's fine. Doing it bit by bit and buying things in season at different times of year means that the garden will be colourful and have some interest all year round.

@Likeaburstcouch The great thing about gardening is that nothing has to be permanent if you change your mind. Dig a flower bed, add some topsoil because of your soil is clay you will need to break it up a bit and plant something. It will either grow or it won’t. Leave more space than you think you need because plants always spread more than you think they will. Gaps can be filled more easily than an established plant moved.

How you actually start is to sit down with a cup of tea/coffee and do nothing.

When you have done some research, watched where the sun hits in your garden, seen what happens when it rains heavily, worked out where you walk when you move about, and made actual plans in your head, and then on a bit of paper; then is the best time to start removing the turf, digging a hole and putting plants in.

When you feel less overwhelmed and more excited, that's the time to actually do something.

I would second getting to know an independent garden centre and going midweek when they have plenty of time to advise. Our local one sells shrubs at different stages of growth and the more grown on they are the more expensive they are. We recently had some overgrown bushes removed and replaced by quite large shrubs (a metre tall) and they were 40 pound each but had instant impact.
When you plant leave enough space in between for growth and spread, we’ve made mistakes in the past with this and end up having to move things (sometimes they don’t survive).
Another thing we’ve had success with is raised beds made with wooden sleepers. It keeps the borders contained, higher so easier to work on, and you can fill them with a topsoil/compost mix so that you can grown a wider range of plants.

You ask about cost, garden centres are expensive,full of candles and clothes these days,and especially at weekends,young assistants who know nothing about gardening. Nurseries, basic, not pretty and fluffy are a better idea
I have bought a lot of plants, shrubs over maybe 20 years from Aldi and Lidl, they are excellent. To give you examples, this year large Hydrangeas,£9.99, similar size in garden centre £40, Rhododendrons £12, garden centre £50. Before you spend any money on plants,you have to find out soil type,PH,and how much sun and shade, fence height, trees nearby will affect this

If you’re in the uk, Autumn is the best time to plant - depending where you are in the country (lots of rain here) you could start now. There will be shrubs like choiysa that grow pretty much anywhere but others will be more specific. Clay retains water so plants that have to have good drainage are likely to struggle. Monty Don also has clay and you might notice he refers to certain plant choices he makes because of that. Have a look at what is doing well in your neighbours gardens for ideas. If it’s lawn you will need to improve the soil when planting and add topsoil and compost. When you plan those borders don’t just go round the edges. Our garden was a small new build and a previous owner designed it on a 45degree angle and it gives an illusion that makes it seem longer and more interesting. Design wise (shapes and structures) Pinterest has great ideas. Enjoy!

Just pop along to some of your local charity shops. Buy a few general gardening books for ideas and see what you like the look of and if you'd like a theme etc. The facing direction/light/shade etc is important but trial and error will turn you into a gardener!
A pp mentioned DG Hessayon books which is what I started with and you can get these at most charity shops for little money. Find the best garden centres local to you and visit monthly to see what's in season each month and then if you like something then take a photo so that you can research at home.
Also consider a small greenhouse for bringing on early plants or over wintering plants etc
I rent so I've planted 99% of plants in pots which also means that I can easily move plants around the garden without any digging. I currently have several bamboos and eucalyptus which are between 12-15' and grow cannas every year which are lush and tall as I have an oriental/tropical themed garden but it's all in pots and will come with me when I move.

You can get grafted trees as they won't grow any taller. That’s not true. The rootstock governs the eventual height, but the eventual height can be many metres taller than what you started with.

Take a small handful of your soil when moist, and roll it into a ball. Does the ball fall apart? If so, it’s not clay. If the ball stays together, try rolling it into an earthworm. If it now falls apart, it’s still clay, but not such heavy clay that I’d be thinking of buying topsoil (which may still be clay). It is still good to mulch the soil, to raise the humus level, so either find room for a compost bin, or buy in some mulch. This is going to be more use for clay than buying in top soil.

yes, you do basically buy a shrub and dig a hole. Don’t buy a big shrub, smaller ones will settle better and soon outpace the larger one. The more expensive something is to raise, the more the nursery will charge, so if something you like is more expensive, it’s a clue it may be fussy - do some research before buying.

With the benefit of hindsight, I'd say don't 'just dig a hole', especially if it's new build. Dig out a border to a decent depth to see what lies beneath. We made a big mistake when we moved here, DH hired someone to supposedly dig a bed... they must have gone down just a few inches before they hit the base of an old path or something (compacted hardcore, bricks etc) and then chucked a bit of soil on top. I didn't realise till I started trying to plant things.

Hopefully you won't encounter anything like this but I reckon it's best to investigate properly first.

Things I have learnt over the years.

Supermarkets often have very cheap plants, as above post says.

Chain Garden centres seem to me to be more expensive and just buy in stuff when it’s actually flowering, so by the time you get it in the ground it’s past it’s best.

Nurseries are generally where you will get more perennials (they last the winter and flower again next year). More expertise and not necessarily cheap, but should be value for money.

I have been gardening for many years, but still don’t feel I know much.

My advice, for every plant you research and buy carefully, allow yourself to buy something cheap and cheerful on a whim. Sometimes we learn Best through trial and error.

Bedding plants like geraniums, lobelia and petunias are great to buy at the beginning of summer (they only last the summer), for instant colour. (I mostly put them in pots.).

It’s late summer now, so not worth buying any bedding stuff.

Remember it should be fun and relaxing. The trend for natural gardens good for wildlife is big and allows for more hodgepodge styles rather than the regimented colour coordinated perfect style of yesteryear.

Please don’t get fooled into thinking you need bug and weed sprays. Evolution has given every greenfly and slug a place on the food chain. If you kill something at the bottom it affects something at the top. We have less birds, hedgehogs etc than ever.

You can do a lot with clay soil, mulch your future flowerbeds well to keep it from drying out so much in the warmer months. Have a wonder round your local streets and have a peek in other people's gardens to see what does well, it will give you some inspiration.

Number one thing to remember? It's ok to make mistakes and put the wrong plant in. Nothing is perfect.

Once you’ve done your research about soil type, sun in garden etc, start looking on Facebook marketplace for cheap perennial plants that you can fill any borders you create with assuming they suit your conditions. They will fill up the space quickly (although by quickly, I mean over a couple of years). Don’t buy any annuals at this point because they will die off so soon but you could buy them at the beginning of the season next year. I think most annuals are a waste of money personally. I am also a big fan of skulking around the clearance section as you can often pick up perfectly good plants which have just finished flowering or are taking up space they want for other displays for a 50% or more reduction. I once picked up 5 x 4ft tall Photinias for £1 each.

If you want something to hide a fence, look for evergreens otherwise the bare branches probably won’t hide the fence for the winter months. Also, be aware that many tall shrubs also become quite wide and will encroach on the size of your garden unless you constantly trim them back. You might want to consider climbers on a trellis or wires across the fence as an alternative. I’m using a Trachelospermum and Lonicera Henryi Copper Beauty, which are evergreens, to do this.

If you want colour throughout the year, don’t just buy everything in flower at the garden centre on one visit and fill the border with it because you could end up with a very boring garden for several months of the year - although plants that are “just” shades of green don’t have to be boring if you have different leaf shapes and sizes, and if you add in different colour leaves (purple, yellow, variegated etc) and heights, and plant them in the right places, you could have a beautiful garden that is never in flower; that’s slightly more advanced though 😀

If the garden is north facing, the clay will never dry out. We managed to improve a lot of our clay soil.... the garden is big,so we had room for raised beds for specific planting. One bed permanent shade, always soaking,DH dug down a foot (couldn't go further,has pipe) removed all the clay soil, and re filled with good top soil,a whole ton of it.

I'm so glad somebody else sees the value in gardening books!!

Thanks so much for all the replies!

The garden is south-east facing.

I've put a hold on the one DG Hessayon book available at our library (Flowering Shrubs fortunately!) and will look out in charity shops.

Love the tip about buying one cheap and cheerful for every carefully researched purchase.

Sounds like I need to get reading, get some topsoil and get to Aldi or an independent nursery! Very excited that autumn is the best time to plant.

Re finding out the pH - how important is this from experience?

Also might request a garden tour from my lovely neighbour to get some tips

If you want borders, Mark them out. You can use spray paint. If you need to get rid of grass, I recommend sheet mulch with cardboard, then soil/mulch on top. Google it. You really do just lie cardboard down.

Then check out the soil. If it's thick clay, you should add some compost. Then plant the biggest stuff first and gradually fill in the gaps. You will need to water so get a hose or watering can. You need secateurs, a spade, a little hand spade, lawn mower and probably a kneeling pad. That's about it. Then just shove some things in and see what happens.

Good luck. I'm envious of the blank slate, you get to pick what you want