Ideas for first flower / garden bed

mel.b

I bought a house late last year and while it has a good size yard, there is very little in the way of actual garden beds. In the backyard there is just this one - see pic below. It's about 80cm W x 4.20m long and the fence is about 1.30m tall. I'd like to plant a climber to cover the walls - I like sweet pea but think I'm too late for this year. I want something that is colourful and fragrant. Then I need ideas for the flower bed - I don't know if i go for flowers, ground coverings etc. The pic was taken at 7pm and it is getting full sun, so it is in an area that gets lots of sun in the afternoon / evening.

At the moment it has pebbles, then a lining of plastic and then the soil. I am going to remove the pebbles and put in bark as I really hate pebbles. Will I need to do anything to the soil? I don't know what type it is - there are a lot of small stones / rocks in the bit where my dog has dug a hole and I am close to the Burren if that helps. I really like Daphne, but other than that I'm at a loss. If I have a climber on the wall, am I better to stay away from a shrub/bush like Daphne? Basically I know nothing about gardening / plants & flowers but have a Readers Digest book here 'gorgeous garden boosters' so I'm trying to read & get some ideas.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated



It has two small plants in it at the moment - this is what the flowers look like close up

chopper6

First off...get that wall painted.

A magnolia colour would be ideal,it makes the garden look twice the size and it will brighten the whole place up.

toddunctious

The shrub looks like an azalea, if so the soil is probably acidic.
But it's nice to have a bed for acid loving plants.

ProudDUB

It's not too late for sweet pea. Last year, I didn't plant mine until the first week of May. They bloomed brilliantly all summer long. I didn't grow them from seeds. I bought 'em already grown from the garden centre. They probably would have bloomed sooner if I had planted them earlier, but I was still very, very happy with how well they did and, how long they lasted. It was my first year to grow them, so I am not sure what impact our hot, dry summer had on how well they did & how well they lasted. They may not have come along so well, or as quickly if we had one of our cold, damp summers.

Gairdin nua

Lovely pictures and I have a query not about your situation in particular. I am not living in Ireland but when I travel around the country when I get there, I am intrigued that the walls are left in that semi completed finish state and not plastered. Its the same in Italy and there it is taken as a sign of their laid back no need to add the finishing touches attitude although in either case it does not to my eye look pretty. What is the rational for that unfinished appearance in Ireland?