Starting garden from scratch

[Doormatnomore]

We have just had an offer accepted on a house with a reasonable size garden. Currently we had a sad patio, before that the darkest, least useable garden I’ve ever seen. But now I have a rectangle of grass with absolutely nothing - I am so excited.

we should be in by the start of May so I want to plan it out (couldn’t care about the inside at the moment). I am looking for hints and tips.

I like the cottage style. There’s fencing round 3 sides which I planned to plant with roses but looking I’ve had my head turned with honeysuckles. It needs levelling a bit so fancied an alpine rockery for the edge. There’s a little bit of grass at the front that I either want replace with chamomile or moss. I want an apple/cherry blossom for height and maybe an acer.

I also need greenhouse and shed recommendations, I don’t need a greenhouse but I really really want one.

I’ve not been in the soil yet but I’m aware it’ll probably need some conditioning.

What does everyone suggest? I’d like year round interest.

What's there at the moment?

It's often said to wait a while before committing to big/expensive garden changes. To give yourself time, see what comes up this spring and look at nearby gardens to see what does well in the soil where you're moving to.

Browse magazines and websites and make lists of what you'd like to see.

Think about how you'll use the garden. Will it be for children kicking balls about or for sitting and relaxing?

Do you need shrubs/trees for privacy or is that already there?

Well that’s what’s got me so excited, it’s literally just grass, about 20m by 30m, 6ft fences on 3 sides. There’s a lane at the back, and either side are just grass as well so all I can think is I can get all the moisture in the ground.

we dont need any playing space (not those kinds of kids alas) and there’s a concrete side for diy, bike parking etc. I’d like some sitting place but not a huge amount.

we’ll need to be in before I can be sure how much privacy screening we need but I’m not a naked sunbather and amnt bothered by neighbours watching me drinking coffee and reading.

should have said we’re in the central belt in Scotland too which effects what will grow( well what will bloom).

First of all - calm down!!!😂

It is very easy to get carried away and want to do everything all at once, because that is what we see in those garden makeover programmes. Most gardens take a long time to develop and mature, so my advice would be to have an overall idea of how you want it to look, but do things bit by bit.

Once you are in the house, then you will begin to learn where the windy corners are, where it is dry or boggy, where the sun is at different times of day and year. It will then be easier to start planning what you would like and where. Otherwise you could go off half-cocked and then spend years wishing you'd put the path, or the shed, or the apple tree, or the veg patch somewhere else.

@Yamadori You’re absolutely right I need to calm down. It’s just such a treat to be able to plan the whole thing. And know the cottage garden style I like takes years and the whole garden might be water logged from October to March (and the ground might be crap which is why everyone has grass and nothing else).

but saying all that I spent this weekend in garden centres taking pictures and measuring things.

maybe start by choosing a shed? And then I can work out which is the darkest corner to stick it in.

For your roses, and any large shrubs it is best to wait until Autumn for planting. I would go for bare root roses. First thing to do is dig around your soil to see what you have got.

You can start your cottage garden straight away. Choose seeds that are not to fussy, and raid the garden centre. Get those plants in soon as you can to get them well watered and settled before the summer.

Choosing a shed is probably a good start!

Spend some time standing or sitting in the garden to get a good feel for the space.

Re windy corners, it's surprising how much turbulence there can be at the base of walls or fences, or near roofs. We made the mistake of putting a small polytunnel near an outside building with a sloping roof, only to find that the wind had the tendency to sweep down off the roof and form turbulence which was strong enough to bend the bars of the polytunnel and rip up the covering.

The frame is still there and is now used to grow climbing beans, which works really well because the vines create a shady tunnel and the beans hang down from above and can be easily picked.

OP, is the house new build? A lot of new builds have terrible soil full of rubble and stuff the builders have buried. If so, take the time to clean the soil up before you plant anything.

Shape the borders- dont just edge

Look at new.house.home on Instagram. Her cottage garden new build house is amazing. You can see what she started with.

Please don’t calm down. I can remember the excitement of my first garden. I have been gardening for 50 years and I still get a buzz from it. Go for cheap and cheerful to begin with this is perfect time of year for seeing quick results.

can you post pictures as you go

@Doormatnomore Yes, but would the darkest corner be the right place to put the shed? And which way do you want it facing, how big, do you want windows in it - like a cosy potting shed, which would go with your cottage garden theme, do you want a sloping roof or a pitched roof, do you want the door at one end or along one side, and what about the path and things like an electricity supply to it? You do need a solid path up to your shed really, for manhandling things like bikes and lawnmowers and wheelbarrows along it.

I'd leave the darkest corner for the compost heap, and put the shed in front of it as a screen.

By saying 'calm down' I meant that it is easy to try and do too much all at once. I didn't mean the OP shouldn't get excited about it.

This is what I was hoping for! Lots of good questions and suggestions.

It’s not a new build it’s 1930’s but looks like it’s not been planted in a long time. I’m actually a reasonable gardener, just never had it in my own home.

good point it’s the wrong time for roses and trees. I’ll maybe just mark where I want them and see where we are by autumn and winter.

I’ll def take pictures to update and ask questions (and because my fantasy extends to entering the town garden competition).

big question: my family are all keen gardeners and they all “theme” their colours. So only pinks, blues and purples etc. I just want colour so I can ignore this and still have a pulled together garden can’t I?

Omg I just looked at New.house.home. That’s amazing! And exactly what I was hoping would be possible, do you think she’d adopt me!

I don’t fancy a water feature but everything else looks brilliant and she is so kind to have shown all the planny stages.

I think power in the shed is a good idea and probably needs done first to avoid digging things up. Although DH seems to be under the impression he can use it for hobbies.

Love how excited you are.

It can be so overwhelming starting from scratch.

We've always inherited gardens and worked around what was already in and established but we moved a year ago and the garden was a patch of rotovated mud, I was so happy to be able to create our own ideal garden.

Was working on it yesterday and its really coming along, already seeing improvements to make next year with bulb placement etc
Ours is much smaller than yours with close neighbours, would love a garden your size.

Like a pp i would also love to see photos once you get started, remember a before photo too.🙂

DH seems to be under the impression he can use it for hobbies.

In that case, he'll have to get his own shed. It's the only way.

I know!!!! Made me wish we had a new build. Such clever zoning.

'The middle sized garden' is also a great blog for ideas.
She'd say 'definitely!' To being adventurous with colour. I think it was her or Sarah raven that gave a great tip- you can mix bright and rich colours in lots of ways however you fancy but it often looks better to stick with either bright/rich or pastels/whites- sticking whites in with rich colours doesn't work as well. Acid greens (like euphorbias) and dark rich tones look fab together too.

Christopher Lloyd's 'colour for adventurous gardeners' is a great read/accompaniment to daydreaming- I picked up a copy for £2 from ebay.

Thanks everyone, i love that gardeners love to share their knowledge.

I’ve already switched from a chamomile lawn to a thyme one because the chamomile ones don’t flower.

it is a good size garden, it’s about the same footprint as the flaming house. I’ve just thought to email the solicitors to make sure the fence is actually ours, i think it is because it matches the back but best to check.

I like the idea of raiding the garden centres for this year to get some life and colour in and then seeing what works. I can def get a water butt though. I’m swamped trying to chose a shed. Sorry I’m forgetting to tag everyone.

does anyone know anything about iris? I was under the impression they like boggy but im not sure now.

Buy a shed twice the size you think you need.

No, I'm not speaking from experience... no...

I think you can get away with a total riot of colour so long as you have plenty of green in the mix. Somehow nature balance everything out with green.

My tips are: -
Go to Suncalc.net. It's a website that allows you to see how the sun will move around your garden. Then you can work out where to put your shed and where to put your flowers.

Have a look at what grows well in your new neighbours' gardens. If it grows well there it will almost certainly grow well in yours.

Visit open gardens, lots of them. You'll get tons of ideas and build up a picture of what you want.

Go to the garden centre often and buy one plant you like that's in flower. If you did that every month in a year you will have a garden that has something in flower all year round.

Start your plan with evergreen plants. There's nothing so gloomy as a garden full of annuals and perennials that have all died down in winter. Evergreens might not be as exciting as showy, colourful plants but they will provide your structure and also shelter from winds for other more delicate plants.

Join a local gardening club/horticultural society. You'll get stacks of free advice and lots of cheap plants and cuttings.

Think about the wildlife....pond, birdbath, feeders, pollinator friendly plants, prickly hedges for birds to nest in, hedgehog gates and houses......wildlife really brings a garden to life and it needs all the help it can get.

I'm in Team Stay Excited.

Ohhh....also, Crocus.co.uk allows you to do detailed searches e.g. I want a white flowering shrub for clay soil in the shade. It also suggests whole planting schemes for different conditions/colours/garden types/seasons of the year.

If you have a Morrison's supermarket near you their plants are very cheap.

About Irises........there are different types that like different conditions. Siberica likes the wet, boggy and bearded Irises for dry for example.

Just remembered that when I was in your position and had my own garden for the first time in many years, friends and neighbours were incredibly generous. People gave me so many clumps of plants they'd divided that it filled a good part of the garden right away. When I can, I do the same.

Morrisons used to be fantastic for plants, but they have really taken a dive since they were bought out by another company in late 2021. They don't have anywhere near as good stuff as they used to.

Oh that is so exciting!

I think looking for a shed is a good idea. I always try and plan the hard landscaping first and agree with a PP, go bigger than you think you need! That works for patios as well as sheds and greenhouses! We have a really useful space behind the shed where I store pots hidden away from view and I have two compost bins but ideally I'd want space for three. One to fill, one to leave sat for a year and one to be using.

Look at where the sun hits your garden and plan your year round structure first. So evergreens but also plants that keep their winter structure e.g. lots of ornamental grasses look fabulous over winter then get cut down around now to regrow again throughout spring and summer.

I try and work on a plan of 30% evergreens and 20% plants that keep their winter structure so the garden doesn't look too bare in winter and there's something to look at all year round. The other 50% I fill in with perennials, annuals etc and play around a bit more with what I have flowering at any one time.

I think you can go with a big mix of colours but it always looks better slightly edited. So a range of colours but all bright/jewel colours or all pastel shades and white.