Novice Gardener Needs Advice Please (Merged)

sloughflint

Hi middleman.
Just another thought. When I have moved house,I have always waited 12 months watching what pops up where before planning any major changes/additions. That way I can keep the good bits and then get rid of stuff I don't like.
I really like that range of books ( Hessayon?) which you find everywhere. They taught me a lot. On a money-saving note. if you get on well with new neighbours and like some of their plants, they will probably be quite happy to divide their plants at appropriate time of year and give you some stuff suitable for your soil rather than spending a lot at garden centres.

Nile

Now that we have a 'Greenfingered' board, I'll move this thread across.

Hi, Martin’s asked me to post this in these circumstances: I’ve asked Board Guides to move threads if they’ll receive a better response elsewhere(please see this rule) so this post/thread has been moved to another board, where it should get more replies. If you have any questions about this policy please email [EMAIL="abuse@moneysavingexpert.com"]abuse@moneysavingexpert.com[/EMAIL].

Nile

Tesscha

Thanks all for your replies, at least I have something to get started on. I think I'll definitely start with the herb side of things. I have some over enthusiastic neighbours who like chopping and clearing everything away so I'll have to mark out my plot!!

JasmineMoon

I quite agree with Sloughflint, don't do anything drastic in a new garden for at least the first 12 months, you never know what's going to come up. We are still discovering plants now and we've been here for four years!!

Another idea for tubs is to try sequence planting, you can plant different bulbs that come up at different times and have, say tulips coming up after the daffodils have finished which came up after the snowdrops finished, etc. It would make the display last longer. Just look at the back of the bulb packets in the shops to see whether they are early or late spring or early or late summer flowering and you could have a tub that sees you through at least half of the year. They usually do this on Gardeners' World,etc. have a look for planting ideas on websites or in books.
By the way it's always a good idea to feed the tub regularly and to refresh the compost when everything dies down, then hopefully it will all start again next year. Good luck!! (remember it's all a big experiment!)
Middleman, I know what you mean about getting excited about the things you plant coming up for the first time. We were so thrilled the first time we had plants coming up from seed we had gathered ourselves!!

kay41_2

I used to work for a PR company that did some gardening PR and I picked up
loads of tips. One really good way is to buy say two really nice glazed or terracotta pots and at the same time buy 4 cheap plastic pots that just fit into the terracotta pots. Plant 2 of the plastic pots with spring bulbs, pop them into the nicer pots (if necessary fill round the edge with compost so it looks like part of the same pot) and when the display is over lift out the plastic pots and replace with the other 2 identical sized pots which you have planted with summer flowering bulbs or bedding plants. Then hide the spring bulbs somewhere to die down naturally (this stores food for the bulb to flower again next year) and hey presto you have a constantly changing display. And you only have to fork out once for expensive containers and a bit extra for cheap liners. It requires a bit or organisation, and make sure you put little plant labels in which say what the flowers are in case you forget!

Another way is to plant spring bulbs and plant flowers that will cover up the dying foliage e.g. cranesbills, fuschias, etc. Make sure you choose late spring, early summer floering perennials. If you plant the bulbs and perennials in the same pot/space in the garden, the perennials will die down to nothing over the winter, the bulbs will pop up in the spring and the perennial will spread to cover the dying foliage of the bulbs.

Another way is to plant bulbs that flower successively e.g. narcissi that flower in feb, tulips that flower in march, april, may etc, so that you have a constantly changing display. Some bulbs need to be planted deeper than others, so you can plant in layers.

kay41_2

I agree about the RHS books, they were my bibles when I got my first garden, I have also listed below some of the books I found really useful (order them fromt helibrary rather than buying them). Also, remainder bookshps are really good for gardening books.

My favourite books:

Reader's Digest - The Gardening Year - tells you exactly what to do in each month and what to plant and what is in season.

Perfect Plants - Roger Phillips and Martyn Rix - Macmillan - Brilliant book which is a summary of their extensive series, splits plants into categories, has lots of piccies and tells you exactly what to plant in which aspect

Right Plant, Right Place - NIcola Ferguson, Pan Books - another excellent read which gives you ideas of what to plant for each type of garden e.g plants tolerant of dry shade, ground cover plants etc.

Another good read, but with hardly any piccies is:

The Complete Small Garden (the big book for small spaces) by Graham Rice - Papermac - a really good general source of info for gardeners.

When you get a bit more into your plants I also recommend Graham Rice's The Planting Planner - Macmillan. This doesn't have any pictures, but you can refer back to the RHS Encyclopedia for images. A reall useful book too, when you want to solve particular problems e.g. what to do with that scrubby bit under the apple tree that never gets any light or water!

Remember, being a new gardener is all about experimentation and you will have some failures. Grow seeds that are easy and don't need a propagator. Buy bedding plants and nurture them. Grow some herbs in pots (either from seed or from a small plant), grow some bulbs (very reliable and easy) and above all have fun! Cuttings can be quite rewarding too e.g. busy lizzies and fuschis are so easy to do and increase your stock.

Note where the sun rises and sets in your garden andwork out the aspect from there. Note which parts are sunny all day and which get sun for only some of the day. Buy a soil testing kit to determine what sort of soil you have (makes a big difference as to what you grow). Note what kind of plants your neighbours have that grow successfully - this will give you a good indication.

If you feel like it keep either a simple journal of what is in flower and when (helps next year!) and maybe a simple plan of what you plant where.

Also, remember, some plants start off very small but within a couple of years grow huge - make sure there is enough room for their final size! You can always fill in the gaps with bedding plants and bulbs. Learn how to prune existing plants to reduce their size and keep them healthy. Beg cuttings and bits of plants from other people. Most people are happy to give you a cutting, or dig up a bit of a perennial for you, or a self seeded geranium plant. About 50% of my smallish garden is from cuttings and bits of other people's gardens and I love this, remembering where it came from.

Buy a couple of pots and put some plants in those - these are often less daunting than a whole big garden!

Sorry - huge piece I've written here.

Tesscha

Thanks Kay41, your huge piece has been very helpful. I will definitely visit the library and see what they have (after I've paid my fines!!).

I bought some seeds from Asda today; Spring onions and Carrots, but I think I need to find out the acidity of my soil before doing anything or perhaps I'll get a container to start off, at least it will be clear that they are mine to all those that use the garden.

dawna_2

I know this must sound really stupid, but I know absoloutely nothing about gardening, but would like to get started. I have two questions.

1. I bought some hyacinth bulbs at M&S just after Christmas(they were selling them cheap)
They had just started to flower.
Now they are finished. Do I just throw them away, or can I use them for next year and how.
2. I bought some sweatpea plants last summer and grew them up my fence. I let some of the flowers go to seed, and saw an article in a newspaper which told you to put the seeds in compost in paper tubes, and put them outside.
I did this, and had them in an old glass fish tank which I suppose is like a cold frame (or is it?)
What do I do now.
When do I put them in the garden?
I like in the north if that makes a difference to the timings.
Also, if I want to grow veg etc, is it too early to start planting?

Jack's_mummy

Plenty of time for veg growing. It's still a bit too cold for planting much at the moment.

I can't help with the hyacinths but sweetpeas maybe. When did you plant them? Have they started to sprout? I don't generally plant mine out in the garden until April/May time (west Yorks)

dawna_2

Some have sprouted. Some have not.