Half my garden is unuseable

[Jjustsancs]

I know it’s the winter and not the time for planting anything but I’m thinking about this for next year -
Half of my garden is un-useable - I don’t want to post a photo. I had gravel lifted and realised there’s a layer of soil and then there’s endless rocks and stones in the soil so it’s pointless trying to grow anything there? I feel stupid for not realising the gravel was there for a reason and now I’ve probably got to pay to cover it all with gravel again?
someone recommended that I put grass down and raised beds but that side of the garden doesn’t really catch the sun.
I’m not sure what I am asking.

How would you like to use the space? It could be a patio and have plants in pots, or it could be a good spot to put a shed? There are also plenty of plants that can grow in stony imperfects soil, things like shrubs and also Mediterranean plants like lavender. There are always options

Post a close up photo of the soil? Seeing the structure helps with suggestions. Does it get any direct sun? How many hours?

In the meantime: https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/for-places/gravel-gardens
Edit: I don't mean add more gravel to turn it into a gravel garden, I mean that your existing soil may well provide the right conditions for one. I have some areas with half pebbles half clay, and lavender and rosemary do really well there.

You can grow wildflowers in terrible soil as long as you have sun.

You can even grow some things in terrible soil without much sun! I hate green alkanet because it can really take over, but you might like it. Comfrey. Mint. Bulbs including daffodils and snowdrops. Dog violet. Wild garlic. Primroses.

Full house. Do I win something nice? I have three cornered leek too which is driving me crazy.

What ?

I might do lavender or something I’ll think about it

Moss gardens are lovely and moss likes shade + stones to grab on to. And it’s really good for the environment.

It's not a 'how to' but just to show what's possible, someone I follow on Instagram has created a lovely garden entirely planted in the aggregate base that had been installed under an artificial lawn by the previous owners https://www.instagram.com/typeonegardening?igsh=MnBtajZpeHRyaTBj

Raised beds? They look lovely too!

Sorry, I was replying to @Agapornis

You could get a couple of large barrel-type containers and knock the bottom out of them, essentially making small raised beds.
Mediterranean plants like lavender etc do like sun so may not thrive in a shady area. You could try searching for ‘dry shade plants’. Another thought is that climbers can act as ground cover if they don’t have a bush to scramble up - ivy as evergreen cover if you like a natural woodland look, and there are some clematis which would work scrambling around - there’s a whole page here https://www.thorncroftclematis.co.uk/ground-cover (look for suitable for north-facing).

Ah yes - thankfully I don't have that (yet). You win.... the suggestion to eat them! Nice in a stir-fry, omelette, anything cheesy.

@Agapornis my chickens love them if I dig them up for them so I do at least have an outlet. Happy to send you some in the post if you like?

@Geneticsbunny absolutely not, thanks 😁 I have a steady local supply from somewhere that is thankfully not my garden.

Large border with various ground covering plants.

@Jjustsancs Is it in sun or shade? There will be plenty of things you can grow there but the aspect is crucial.

Lavender likes full sun so might not do all that well in a shady area.

Mind your own business is a lovely ground cover for shade (though invasive).

Nasturtiums will grow best in poor soil.

If you have at least 4 hours of sun, sempervivums (hen and chicks) would work too, as well as Californian poppies.

Persicaria is very easy to grow in any condition and the coloured leaves are appealing.

Some ornamental grasses would also be happy there, I have pheasant’s tail grass (anamanthele lessoniana) in very shallow, sandy soil in part shade and it is thriving.

Are you familiar with the Beth Chatto gardens? That might give you some inspiration for dry/gravel/poor soil/Mediterranean planting. Or look up rockery gardens - plants like creeping thyme, aubrieta need very little soil to thrive.

Alternatively, can you put some compost/topsoil on top of the “unusable” area?

OP, don't stress, discovering stones under gravel is super common, also it doesn’t mean the area is absolutely unusable. You can remove larger rocks and mix in compost to improve the soil. Or skip the digging entirely and just put raised beds right on top.

As for the shade, things like leafy greens, herbs, ferns and hydrangeas grow well, the grass is a hit or miss, so raised beds are usually the easier option. If you’re unsure about the layout, you can try a landscape planning tool to visualise how the garden could look.

Also, you definitely don’t have to put the gravel back unless you want a low maintenance surface.