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New Garden... What shall I do..

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  • 05-05-2008 9:17pm
    #1
    flynnc8
    Closed Accounts Posts: 410 ✭✭


    Ok, So its my first time ever to have a garden... Grew up in a council flat, spent my teens in an apartment in the city centre, First home away from parents was an apartment and now finally I have my house and Garden..

    I have wanted this space for so long and now I dont know what to do with it... I would love to have it looking pretty with some nice bright flowers, at present the garden consists of grass and one of those trees that bloosem with pink flowers in spring/summer... Sorry haven't a clue what its called..

    So I was just wondering could anyone recommend something that is pretty, bright, medium maintence and if possible blooms more than once over the years... As I said I know nothing about gardening or plants but would love to explore my green finger side lol :p


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    #2
    Saruman
    Registered Users Posts: 11,389 ✭✭✭✭Saruman


    I think the treee is a Cherry Blossom.
    Anyway you can not go wrong with roses, Also Geraniums. Im not a gardener but they are the obvious ones to me.


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    #3
    hairymolly
    Closed Accounts Posts: 144 ✭✭hairymolly


    Try shrubs, fruit bushes for starters. I buy all my plants and trees in lidl. Very cheap and hardy. April 2007 I planted lidl apple trees and got fruit end of season. Not bad for starters, also try planting in containers, that way you can move the plants around until you find a space in the garden where they look good. Enjoy the fruits of your labour.


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    #4
    Beruthiel
    Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 42,362 Mod ✭✭✭✭Beruthiel


    Which way does your garden face?
    Does it get a lot of sun?
    Or, like mine, one side is in shade and the other gets full sun.
    This is important when buying plants.

    I have a small garden, so big trees are a no no.
    I have a few beautiful japanese acers planted in pots for the shaded part.

    hostas can be beautiful (they die off in the winter and pop back up in the summer) Needs sun.

    The Lily Also dies off in winter and pops up every summer. Very beautiful. Needs sun.

    lavander is beautiful. Needs sun.

    If you like cooking, plant some herbs.
    Go to your garden centre and look at the alpines, small, low growing plants which can be evergreen and flower in the summer. Needs sun.

    A good garden centre will have people who will advise you and tell you where to plant what. Follow the instructions on the labels.
    Be sure to check what size a plant will eventually get. Some people make the mistake of planting a tiny cute tree, only to have it take over the whole garden ten or twenty years later.
    Have fun!


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    #5
    Minder
    Registered Users Posts: 2,774 ✭✭✭Minder


    Plant petunias, geraniums and begonias in containers to get some great colour this summer - the diy stores sell these in trays and they're quite cheap.

    Alpines are great, low maintenance, but they do need free draining soil - good for a rockery - lots of tiny blue and pink flowers.


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    #6
    flynnc8
    Closed Accounts Posts: 410 ✭✭flynnc8


    thanks alot, some great tips there...

    Well I live in a cornor house so the front of my house faces north so not alot of sun.. but the side seems to be sunny allday... as someone mentioned about soil... I thought I'd mention that my house is a newe build and it seems that the soil is very gravelly.. you know how they kinda just fill all the waste in and cover it over...

    will this affect my plants growth...


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    #7
    Beruthiel
    Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 42,362 Mod ✭✭✭✭Beruthiel


    You can add peat when you're planting along with plant food, both will encourage growth.
    There are different types of soil, for instance, where I live the soil has a lot of lime in it. Some plants don't like to be planted in limey soil so I would never plant those types.
    Gardening is a lot of fun and some plants will fail, time and knowledge will teach you what works in your garden.
    If parts of your garden have a lot of gravel, you can either dig it out or plant alpines over it. Alpines like a lot of rocky drainage.


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    #8
    NextSteps
    Registered Users Posts: 984 ✭✭✭NextSteps


    If you like cooking you could try making a herb garden in the sunny part. Most herbs aren't too fussy about soil. Go to your garden centre and get what you like - chives, thyme, oregano, fennel (grows very tall), sage, rosemary, lavendar... Plant them about a foot apart.


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    #9
    old boy
    Registered Users Posts: 2,658 ✭✭✭old boy


    why not have a magpie garden, if you see something you like, buy it, plant it, you can always move it, divide it, the old cottage gardens were designed that way, stick a few herbs, cabbages, lettuces etc here and there, thats how i started out, i still buy it if i like it, the garden is yours, forget conventiallity, buy it, plant it, enjoy it, car boots are great places to buy, all are grown here, and you will find plants you will not get anywhere else, at a fraction of garden centre prices, lastly go for cottage garden style and plants, then nothing is out of place


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