Big, easy plants help

[StrangePond]

I am a novice gardener with a very large garden, currently an entirely blank canvas. South-facing slope, in terraces, but quite exposed, lots of rainfall, not much frost. Soil varies from quite nice to very stony and clay-y. I’m still doing bits of exploratory digging throughout to map it out.

Could people recommend plants, shrubs particularly, that get big, and are relatively easy to grow? I find so much gardening advice favours the compact, but space is literally the one thing I have lots of, and I think it would help to anchor the space to get some structure in.

We should clearly arrange a garden swap. I’d be perfectly happy to have a fairly un-flowery garden. But I bet you wouldn’t want my soil. Or my heliotrope infestation.

Pampas Grass!

Would love to, but have no money! I have no clue what a garden designer would cost —ballpark, just for the most basic service?

I’ve no idea of the cost but I agree with @Agoddessonamountaintop
I think you should be able to get a consultation and simple design plan for not too much money. The real costs come if you are going for a full landscaping job.
Maybe if you live near one of those HE colleges that offer horticultural courses you might find a keen student who would relish a small project.

As others have said a plan will help avoid mistakes.

For example in my own garden - we live in an old terraced cottage in the country. Small front gardens, long narrow strips behind. Ours has a vegetable plot at the far end, then lawn coming down to an apple tree that shades a small patio area where we sit in the summer. DH decided the lawn needed breaking up and planted another apple tree bang in the middle. No objections there, it’s growing well and produced lots of fruit last year. Then a narrow strip either side dividing the two halves of the lawn. I planted some bulbs and a couple of geums which I like as they are very easy, come back every year and flower generously. Then a rose took my fancy and I plonked a small shrub rose there which has lilac coloured flowers. Meanwhile DH spotted a Broom (shrub not a sweep!) which reminded him of Dartmoor. I objected to his choice of place but he stuck it on the end of the strip anyway. Now when everything is in flower we have this row which goes bright yellow, lilac, orange and ends with the soft peach of a rambling rose which I had planted against the fence on the far side. The mismatched colours really offend my eye. I suppose it’s the lilac rose that is the main problem. I should move it but I’ve heard roses don’t like being moved and I don’t have an ideal spot to move it to. I think I really must. Anyway that’s an example of how a lack of planning has ended up looking a right mess!

@ShamedBySiri I wouldn’t worry about moving the rose, they’re pretty indescribable. Here’s what David Austen advises:
https://www.davidaustinroses.co.uk/blogs/rose-care/how-to-move-a-rose

@StrangePond I’d love a garden swap, although I’m quite old so probably wouldn’t cope with one as big as yours.

Carol Klein wrote a book called 'Right Plant, Right Place' which might be invaluable to you.

This website is really useful. You can search by flowering months, soil type, south facing, evergreen etc. https://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/ Their plants aren't cheap though so do shop around.

I went to horticultural college and people would often write to the college asking for a student who would be willing to do a design for beer money. If you're keen to get a design then it might be worth trying.

Have a look at the middle sized garden for planning ideas. But I’d really recommend doing a scale drawing of the garden and doing a plan, shed, patio, garden chairs that cast the last sun, place for siting in sun with first coffee, where you might want some shade in high sunnier. even if you can’t afford to do it know, leave the space for them.
also look up the heights and diameter of what you are planning to put in so that you can see if it fits. I’m looking at a beautiful Cornus contraversa variegata I planted in my front garden that is now stretching over the front path…

Don’t be in too much of a rush, learn how the sun moves round the garden, you don’t want to plant an evergreen that is going to grow huge and block the last bit of the sun. But you might want to grow something like stipa gigantea there that will catch the last of the sun.

trees are excellent for structure and height and grow from small saplings really quite fast. Think about colour and structure in winter too…. I love an autumn flowering cherry for brightening up the winter. https://www.crocus.co.uk/plants//cornus-controversa-variegata/classid.968/

And have a pond if you can. They are easy and so good for wildlife.

How big? Could we have a picture or diagram. Hydrangeas won't like south facing,clue is in the name. My back garden is NW facing and the hydrangeas really suffered last summer.

My mum has a terraced, steep garden and has lots of rhododendrons and azaleas which smell amazing. They do get quite big though.

They also need acid soil. It would be best to test your soil (or look to see if rhododendrons and azaleas thrive in yours and neighbouring gardens) before spending your money.

Another source of ideas is Sarah Raven. You can buy enough plants to fill a specific border, already planned out for you (although I’ve just used it for ideas and sourced the plants elsewhere for less money).
www.sarahraven.com/border-collection-plans

Azaleas and rhododendron are Japanese woodland shrubs, they don't like full sun.. even in my NW facing garden I have lost them to wind and sunburn.. the majority are in pots and moved in hot weather. We have a big eucalyptus,DH dug out a huge amount of soil,built a raised bed from wooden sleepers, bought a ton of ericacious soil.... not compost for them. They are about 30 years old and have moved several times with us..

I'd consider fatsia japonica. Evergreen, get quite big and come in different varieties so you can have some different leaf colours. Mix in some dogwood, as they have courful stems in winter.

Black Lace elder is a lovely plant with pink flowers, grows big quite quickly and has pretty leaves.

Big rambling roses, great for hips in the autumn too.
Buddleia for the butterflies.
Ornamental white birch for the beautiful bark that glows at night (esp if uplit).
Mock orange (scent)
Witch hazel (scent)
Hawthorn
Acer for autumn colour
Callicarpa (purple berries attract over wintering black caps).

The Middle Sized Garden has a very useful about gardening on a slope.

I have some fatsia japonica, in a north-facing border — it seems to be doing well in shade?

I have a couple of Fatsia,Acers also need shade, they are also Japanese woodland shrubs. How big is the garden?

Loads of great advice already. My main contribution based on my own experience is to get bushes that are different colour greens. I got bushes with different leaf textures but in high summer they all look the bloody same and it makes me want to set about them with a hatchet.

Sarcococca is wonderful in a dry north facing bed and smells lovely in February.

Thanks, everyone. I've mostly been digging over the sloping bottom 'terrace' closest to the house, where the soil is fairly good, as that's where I will plant first. I've been accumulating various shrubs (and I absolutely agree, @ElizabethVonArnim about the contrasting foliage).

However, the soil in the two empty terraces above is a disaster, very stony and compacted. If money were no object, I'd buy in topsoil, but money, alas, is severely lacking. Ho hum.

Personally, I'd think of each terrace as a separate room.
Tye one nearest the house is the one you'll see year round from all windows, and be best placed ti spot small things. So lots of spring bulbs, berries for winter, evergreens etc.
Next terrace for full on cottage garden. Blouse roses, peonies, stiff delphinium, etc..
One terrace for a grassy prairie scheme. Sort of loose and wafty.
One terrace for productive garden - fruit trees & bushes, herbs, veg patch, wildflower meadow feel. If your soil is really stoney, then just go with a medittaranean scheme.
Furthest away terrace for pond, and a contemplative wildlife friendly tucked away spot.

We have a Winter flowering honeysuckle that grows well with zero input from us. Some of it was chopped down by builders and has grown back vigorously so I think it’s pretty hardy!
I would recommend it if you want wildlife as it’s the only thing flowering in February and it attracts lots of birds and bumble bees.

My Clemetis Armandii often flowers in February (though I admit it's not this year!) and the bees love it - sometimes Brimstones on it too. And we have lots of primroses as well.

Sounds like it might be good for prairie style? If you’ve got an expanse and you can see out over it. Poor soil, exposed, sunny.