What can I do with my garden?

[Soubriquet]

I have a nice large garden. It’s going to be our permanent home so now I wish to do something with the garden. It’s all lawn at the moment. I want flowers and bushes.

Observe which areas get sun when and plan accordingly.

Put in a load of spring bulbs in the autumn.

It's not that different to mine, which was a 10m x 10m sqaure of grass, with a couple of small patios when I moved in. Newish build (yours looks like it might be).

You can absolutely build a garden into that. Some of the things we did:

1. Worked out where we'd like to sit first
2. Then worked out the 'eye lines' for how that space could be overlooked
3. Planted strategic trees in the eye line to break up the line of sight

Once we'd done that, I dug a border in round the edge that is wavy - it kind of curves inwards each time it gets to a tree so the tree is included in the border.

That left an awkard square next to the shed, where I built a small pond - this has been the single thing to make the biggest difference about wildlife.

I then watched where the sun as so figured out which bits get the most sun and planted accordingly. Many things thrived, some failed - when they failed I replaced them again with something else.

The other thing I did has been to feed, feed, feed the soil and lawn. New builds tend to have crappy soil but mine is lovely stuff, mainly because I build the borders up with a 10cm layer of top soil and each winter I mulch heavily with manure. I feed the lawn but also do all my repotting on it - so there is plenty of compost overspill that helps deepen and feed the soil bed there. Also, the dog pees on it, so that helps

We don't weed the lawn, so long as it's green that's good enough for me.

Sun faces the opposite side in the morning and sets over the back yard in the evening. That much I know. And thank you for the suggestion of bulbs

Put in a load of spring bulbs in the autumn.

Oh yes, we did this too.

Lots of daffodils, crocus and tulips. I then have potted hyacinth every year indoors and when they've done, I plant them out into the garden and they tend to keep coming back, building up the stock each year.

@WittyMcAdder

you have a beautiful garden

Ta - but even if it's not your style, hopefully you can take some tips from the process we followed - or at least some heart that a newish build garden does not mean you'll never grow anything

No it’s absolutely my style. Though I would want more bee and butterfly friendly flowers to attract them. Apart from that it’s gorgeous

We did very similar to @WittyMcAdder . Trees make a huge difference to a garden, the birds love them, https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/types/trees/small-garden. My cherry tree is covered in bees in the spring and I've a ceonothus that is too.

Having height is important. And wide enough borders to plant into. I've tried to plan it so there's something in flower all the time.

I would love to encourage birds but unfortunately I do have a cat. She doesn’t go outside much, or at least she didn’t, but she might start now we are in a quiet area. She used to be a bit of hunter. She had a thing for drowning mice…morbid bitch. She upset me one year by bringing a family of robins. After that, I no longer encouraged the birds. When the new build estate is finished (well done on who guessed a new build) there will be a massive pond opposite us, so there will be plenty of places for birds to come to

If it is a new build, be prepared for what you will find when you remove the turf to create the flower beds. Builders are not gardeners and leave all sorts of unwanted crap and rubble behind, bulldoze it flat and put a layer of topsoil over the lot. You might have to dig out bricks, cement and paint tins and god knows what else.

What helped us was carving out areas - a sitting area with a couple of benches that we sectioned off with some tall plants to make it feel quite separate, a table and chairs area for eating outside, a lawn area, big borders filled with bulbs and different flowers.

I would also advise to take the long view and not plant too many quick-growing things or trees etc that grow really tall because you'll be having to chop them all back in a few years. I've had to start a garden in my current house from scratch (not a new build, just a 'razed to the ground' sort of situation) and I started by planting clematis, wisteria and honeysuckle to begin to cover the fencing. Some of them failed, but I now have a few which are doing well. I have small acers which have travelled with me from house to house and they look good together in a corner, then my current favourite new plant is the Sambucus nigra which is dark foliage with pink flowers as I think that looks good against the fence. It all takes time and you will make mistakes but don't be afraid to dig something up and move it, if it's in the wrong place.

@WittyMcAdder wonderful garden. What are the trees you have there?

The one in the foreground is a dwarf crabapple. On the right hand side at the back is a damson - gives us enough fruit each year for about 15-20 jars of jam. There are also two standard red robins and an Amelanchier.

I've just been toying with sneaking in a multi stemmed small silver birch.

I think you can never go wrong with a hardy fuschia or twenty!