afraid to start

happywithlife · 08-01-2012 1:51am #1

ok so as the title says, i'm basically afraid of starting our garden cos quite frankly, i haven't a frigging clue !

we're in our house two years and to best explain it, the house sits in the middle of the site, with a U shaped garden round the front, side and back, with another stretch of grass running along the driveway boundary - its fairly wide at where the gates will be, and it tapers off at the top, where the garage is located. currently, we have barely gotten the lawn seed in last year so we have a bit of a garden and about half of the hedge in (present from my mum who thought it would do the whole thing - not a chance!)

anyway i have no gardening experience, no funds to speak off (hence rest of the hedge isn't in yet) but i am determined to start making some go at it.

another problem is we need to completly demolish and rebuilt the front boundary wall (a beautiful stone wall but it is falling down and in very poor repair) but again lack of funds means its seriously on the long finger

i managed to plant a few spring bulbs and put in a couple of containers last year but have no idea where to start

should i just keep on with the containers till i can afford to do a proper job? or should i start away?

ideally i would love someone to look it over, and give me a plan of action to work on over a period of say 5 years -
is that a mad concept/idea?
even if i had the money tomorrow to hire someone to come in and give it a wow make over i wouldn't - i do want to learn how to do it myself. some of my nicer childhood memories are being out in the garden in the summer evenings with my parents, but sadly i don't have their help or guidance now. i have bought peter dowdall's (sp?) book which seemed pretty basic, but i am just panicking at the thoughts of starting and making a right auld mess of it,

WHERE TO START?? WHAT TO DO??

any advice greatly appreciated!

looksee · 08-01-2012 12:49pm

Provided you are prepared to keep at it, it is almost impossible to make a complete mess of a garden. Even if it goes 'wrong' - ie you don't like it - you can always have another go at it.

You need to attend to the boundary wall if it is falling down. What you do depends on what kind it is. Is it a block wall faced with stone, or is it a real stone wall, does it have cement? This sounds as though it could be the bit that will cost money.

As for the rest I would suggest you keep looking after the lawn for the moment and use it as a base for adding features. What kind of garden are you looking for? Is it rural or town? How big is it? Whatever you do is going to cost you a bit of money but maybe you could get people to give you trees and shrubs as birthday presents for example?

Stand back from the garden and see where a small group of trees such as silver birches could go. Don't scatter individual trees and shrubs all over the garden, make a couple of groups. Don't get too near to the house with trees and shrubs.

Any chance of a couple of photos, and you will get lots of suggestions?
Its a bit difficult to give opinions without seeing the area but don't be afraid of it, take it bit by bit, it will take years to get it to where you want it, but that is the pleasure of a garden.

redser7 · 08-01-2012 1:57pm

Visit your local library, gardening sections tend to be well stocked. Pick up some design books and enjoy the photos. Let it sink in and see if some sort of style catches your imaginaton. Start looking at other people's gardens and see if any particular plants grab your eye.

You can start your own library by picking up some second hand copies of Dr. Hessayon's Garden Expert books. They are not intimidating but detailed all the same. Click on the second hanf links for the books on amazon and you will probably get copies for 1p, and pay postage only, about 3 or 4 euros.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_4_6?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=hessayon+expert+series&sprefix=hessay

Good luck. I started out clueless about 3 years ago and it's becoming a real passion.

Ophiopogon · 08-01-2012 2:07pm

I would agree with all that Looksee has said.

The most important thing, I think, about gardening is recognising that it takes time to create a really beautiful garden. The fact that you don't have the money, I think will actually stand to you. Start small now, make the mistakes now and over the years you will figure out what works and what you like. Some people want that instant garden and throw a load of money at to find that it fails a few years later.

Like Looksee said, fix boundry issue first if you can, It's easier now instead of when you have grown plants around it.

Keep the containers going to get your confidence up. Try noting areas of sun/shade, poor drainage etc. Again, it will be easier to fix soil problems now before you have anything planted. Decide where you would like to have sitting/entertaining areas now and mark them off you planting areas.

It does help if you have an idea of what style you like, there are lots of sites on the net bbc, etc. I do change areas of my garden but it's almost always in the same style.

With regards to trees, you can get the very cheap (couple of euro) for whips but I would just say maybe to hold off untill you are sure where you want them. I made the mistake when I first started over ten years ago of planting in really stupid places that meant I had to cut down really beautiful trees over the last couple of years. For me it was soul distroying to this as I did love them so I would say, it doesn't really matter what else mistakes you make but try not make mistakes with trees.

With regards to money, I'm broke so I'm always scouting for cost solutions. Try Seedaholic she has some great info and seeds on here and you don't have to spend a lot. With patience, the smaller and cheaper plants in garden centres grow well. I do save a lot by buying nearly dead plants on sale and just giving them some care. I know woodies and that are cheaper but I would also say to try and find a good local independent garden centre and get in with the staff, they are a font of free knowledge.

Lastly, make sure to take pictures of the garden before you start and as you go along, I wish I had done this from the start as you can then really see your progress.

happywithlife · 08-01-2012 10:06pm

thanks for the replies guys,
yeah should have explained a bit better -
the house is detached out in the country - roughly 1/2 acre site in all. we have an old stone wall out front as the boundary onto the main road, it is 'real stone' and has no cement, so its basically falling down around our ears. i want to do it right but cost wise, i'll prob have to knock it down, use the existing stone to rebuild a stone facade on the outer wall, hopefully saving enough stone to build the entrance. i'll probably have to use blocks on the inside wall, but am hoping to then paint that in a natural shade and maybe put in some kind of wall plants?? i know its going to cost a couple of grand, and is kinda a priority as we have small kids so a) we need a proper gate and b) i am actually afraid a huge chunk of the wall could cave in on them

i do want to put trees inside that wall when it is done, but do realise i should wait till the wall is done before planting them.
drainage is poor although we did drain the field side boundaries as we were building so that has helped. soil is yellow mould kind of thing.
the fourth boundary is a natural ditch alongside another road, and i'm keen to leave that as natural as possible.
i have actually being doing some of what was suggested so at least i'm on the right track

i found out via my containers my 'lovely suntrap' , although being south facing, gets a hellofa lot of wind and rain, and my containers actually ended up getting water logged there last summer so i had to move them. i have also been around to a few of the local garden centres and think one guy may be able to help out with ideas - my friends' mum goes to him all the time and said he is great. he is willing to come out and look at the site and help me pick out a hedge, so am hoping we can work something out regards a bit more advice.
ok, i do think i need to sort the wall out first so in the meantime, as someone suggested, i'll keep plugging away with the containers to get my confidance (and knowledge) up.
thanks guys!

paddy147 · 08-01-2012 10:55pm

You can pick up the likes of a bundle of bareroot hornbeams and beech hedges (3 feet tall) for as little as 13 euro a bundle (20 per bundle).

All you need is some elbow grease,a fork and spade and a bag of compost and/or manure pellets and plant the bare roots about 12-14 inches apart in a staggered line.Then a good water ever few days (even in winter time)

Theres you're hedge planted for you.

Im not a gardener,and never will be really.But up to before I ever met my girlfriend,I used to kill everything in a garden.:(

Thanks to my girlfriends expertize and her skills as a professional horticulturalist,I can now plant various flowers,plants and hedges and not manage to kill anything off (so far).

She showed me how simple and fun gardening can be and become,if you have a little patience and are prepared to get a bit dirty too.And the results can be pretty mind blowing too.

The likes of dead and old trees and tree trunks and stumps are seen as waste and "fit for the skip" to some people but to the likes my girlfriend,they are fun and interesting garden features and pieces to base a garden design and planting design around.:)

That I can vouch for,with regards my own personal experience.Its amazing to see a horrible plain piece of land and grass be transformed into a wonderfull and colourfull landscape,and especialy when you manage to do it yourself too,and on the cheap too.:D

ROGER THE LODGER · 09-01-2012 2:16am

We built several years ago in the middle of a corn field and unless you want "indestuctables" only,you will need above all shelter from the south westerly wind.If this is not a problem then you should at least plant a tree or two as these tend to take the most time to mature and give height to the garden.There are so many qualities and attributes for different species,but my number one recomendation multi-purpose tree is... Amelanchier lamarckii "Ballerina" which has the following ..1. new leaves pretty pink. 2.white hanging flowers. 3.berries loved by birds. 4. wind resistant 5. can take most soils even partially waterlogged. 5.rich autumn colour. 6. doesn't get too big. Available at most decent garden centres.

redser7 · 09-01-2012 9:17am

You'll be dizzy with ideas. It's actually an enviable position to be in ;-) Here's one for you - consider fruit trees and start a mini-orchard of apples and pears.

Clare man · 09-01-2012 12:43pm

starting with a lng term plan, hwich you can edit as you got forward is the right idea. If you are not in position to pay some one to do this consulting local experts and gettign their inputs now is a good idea. go with some of your ideas and tell them what u r interested in. Also check on line for ideas.

You could think about doing a short garden design course asa night class, if you wanted to learn more

start with a site plan and colled inputs whereever you can, also look at what has worked well in neghbours gardens. Lots of ideas on line to how to do this. start now and figure out how you wnat to divide up the garden, long term, flower beds, Trees, Orchard, Poly tunnel, compost, fruit bushes etc

focus on trees now, before the growing season starts plan on getting 1 big task done each year.

have fun !

bartlguy · 09-01-2012 3:33pm

happywithlife wrote: »

ok so as the title says, i'm basically afraid of starting our garden cos quite frankly, i haven't a frigging clue !

we're in our house two years and to best explain it, the house sits in the middle of the site, with a U shaped garden round the front, side and back, with another stretch of grass running along the driveway boundary - its fairly wide at where the gates will be, and it tapers off at the top, where the garage is located. currently, we have barely gotten the lawn seed in last year so we have a bit of a garden and about half of the hedge in (present from my mum who thought it would do the whole thing - not a chance!)

anyway i have no gardening experience, no funds to speak off (hence rest of the hedge isn't in yet) but i am determined to start making some go at it.

another problem is we need to completly demolish and rebuilt the front boundary wall (a beautiful stone wall but it is falling down and in very poor repair) but again lack of funds means its seriously on the long finger

i managed to plant a few spring bulbs and put in a couple of containers last year but have no idea where to start

should i just keep on with the containers till i can afford to do a proper job? or should i start away?

ideally i would love someone to look it over, and give me a plan of action to work on over a period of say 5 years -
is that a mad concept/idea?
even if i had the money tomorrow to hire someone to come in and give it a wow make over i wouldn't - i do want to learn how to do it myself. some of my nicer childhood memories are being out in the garden in the summer evenings with my parents, but sadly i don't have their help or guidance now. i have bought peter dowdall's (sp?) book which seemed pretty basic, but i am just panicking at the thoughts of starting and making a right auld mess of it,

WHERE TO START?? WHAT TO DO??

any advice greatly appreciated!

I would be happy to do a plan for you long term at no cost. I am a landscaper and can help you with what needs to be done straight away and then what needs to be done in the long term. All you would have to do is send me photos of the garden and maybe some measurements of the area and i would happily help you.

I have a degree in landscape construction and design and this is more or less my downtime so a project like this would help me to fill in some of the days in january.

Contact me if you have any further questions.

Bartlguy

paddy147 · 09-01-2012 8:02pm

Dont forget to water the ground around the trees and plants well,even this time of year.Dont jjust water ther plants,water the ground around it too.

Roots spread out into new soil to anchor down the trees and plants,and they will spread out more and better when they can detect moisture.

I was out watering the garden yesterday (after a lesson in garden watering by my other half),and my neighbour thought I was nutts to be watering the garden.

I explained to her,why gardens,soil and roots need water even in wintertme.Especially new plants and young saplings,trees and hedges.

And that alot of the time,gales and strong wind prevents the rain from getting deep down to the soil and roots.

paddy147 · 09-01-2012 8:09pm

bartlguy wrote: »

I have a degree in landscape construction and design and this is more or less my downtime

Hi,Where did you do you're degree?

happywithlife · 10-01-2012 1:42am

oh god think i may have killed the half a hedge i do have so... haven't watered it in ages!!!!!!!!!!!!
ok there is a project for me for the immediate future.
to whomever suggested the fruit trees == yeah i'm dying to get going on that - have two possible locations for that already.
i'm dead chuffed at the offers of help guys - wasn't expecting that at all thanks a mill.
i'm going to have to figure out how to get a basic drawing up but i've absolutely no idea of how many feet etc the site is=== although i do remember we planted the bit of a hedge 3 feet apart so i may be able to guestimate if i count the plants in the morning! (while i'm watering them

)
thanks again guys....am getting a bit excited about it again and thinking i may just be able to do something.......
another question for you while i'm at it

.... i have no compost heap as of yet and always saying i must start one.. i saw a compost bin at a garden centre last year that was on a kind of a stand that you could rotate (think it sped up the compost making procedure) - is something like that worth it? and are they a devil for attracting rats? i know, being out in the country they are around anywy but don't want to actually draw them on me either...

bartlguy · 10-01-2012 1:42am

botanic gardens in dublin in conjunction with ibt in blanch

paddy147 · 10-01-2012 2:39am

bartlguy wrote: »

botanic gardens in dublin in conjunction with ibt in blanch

Small world isnt it....:)

Same as my girlfriend then.She is a professional horticulturalist and garden designer and went to ITB and Botanic Gardens for 4 years where she got her degree too (BSC Botanics)

wildlifeboy · 10-01-2012 12:22pm

hiya, I am a hobbyist more than anything but if bartiguy does up plans for you and you go with them i would liek to offer my help to implement them at weekends and such. i could do with the experience.

looksee · 10-01-2012 4:30pm

You don't need a fancy compost maker, especially when there are more interesti g things to spend money on. Nail some scrap timber (like some old pallets from your local recycling centre) into a frame - tie on the last one so you can get at it. fill up with garden waste, avoid cooked food and no meat type stuff- throw an old bit of carpet on top and leave it for 12 months. You can add some accelerator and/or a thin layer of soil every now and again.

Some more advice here http://www.gardenadvice.co.uk/howto/organic/compost/index.html

CamperMan · 10-01-2012 5:33pm

redser7 wrote: »

You'll be dizzy with ideas. It's actually an enviable position to be in ;-) Here's one for you - consider fruit trees and start a mini-orchard of apples and pears.

this is a great idea especially with the price of fruit in the shops these days.

Our garden is also half an acre and it has the following fruit trees:

2 apple trees,
2 cherry trees,
1 pear tree,
6 plum trees..

we had a feast of delicious fruit last year fresh from the garden

happywithlife · 10-01-2012 11:50pm

looksee i actually have two old pallets out behind the garage so score on that front

fil may be doing a spot of childminding for me in next few weeks till we get a new childminder sorted out and he is fairly handy round the house and garden so it might be a pet project for him while he is here

i also did a walk around this morning and spotted the first of the daffs coming up!!!!! (bit early isn't it for them but presume its cos of the mild weather)
thanks for all the offers for help - should have stated at the beginning, i'm down in cork, so whilst i appreciate all the offers of help, i know its a bit out of the way for some of ya

afraid to start

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