How many years(!) ahead are you planning your garden?

J_J_Carter

Watching GW last night, they had Sir Roy Strong talking about his garden and pictures of planting the pleached lime walk and yew trees some 30 years back.

Obviously it wasn't a 'riot of colour' the next season...:D

So, honestly, how many years ahead are you planning for when selecting and planting in your garden? Is it 'pears for heirs' or hardy annuals for next Spring...

I planted a yew in my garden about 15 years back, but I never expected to still be in the property this far down the line...:rotfl:

cjb02

2-3 yrs may be. never really thought about it until you asked. but I got an allotment this year and promptly planted 2 plum trees and an apple tree. At home I have kiwi and grape vines, non of these give produce immediately so I must be planning ahead some how at least.

lostinrates

Long term.


Have been here a year and delays mean what I hoped to do this autumn will now be being done next. Its weird how in long term plans a delay by one year seems so devestating! We might never leave the house we have bought (we're in early thirties, so lost of time to see things mature) if we do, it will have a garden for the next people to work their changes into.

Rummer

Only a few years ahead but I love to change my mind so who knows how it will actually end up!

Patchwork_Quilt

We arrived here in August 2008 so -

2008-2009 Taking up the tons of gravel that had been poured onto the garden and the plastic bags underneath. Freed the apple tree first. Cutting down the stand of trees at the back. Getting rid of pernicious weeds all over the garden.

2009-2010 Cutting down more trees at the back, clearing the compost heap behind them (15 - 20 feet long) and getting rid of more gravel. Planting some fruit trees and bushes.

2010-2011 Taking off yet more gravel, enlarging the border on the RHS and taking up one third of the lawn/compost heap to form the veg patch. More fruit trees. Clearing the patio of weeds. Fence off front from back.

2011-2012 Enlarging the borders further and filling with flowers (at last!). Improving the veg patch. Improving the patio. Buy some patio furniture. Squeeze in more fruit trees? Sort out south border, possibly turning into a second veg patch and giving up allotment.

2012-2013 Final adjustments.

I always had a five year plan for this garden, possibly because it was such an enormous task and has had to be fitted in between work and bringing up a family.

elsien

I make it up as I go along. I tend to go with the flow until something happens and forces me to do something. So last years winter killing off a couple of shrubs has made me dig things up, shift a couple around, and plan where to replant/replace them.
Structurally there's not a lot I can do without a total relandscape which I don't want, so it's more a case of growing things from seed/growing on my plug plants and seeing what works. So I'm probably working a couple of months ahead at most.
I'd like to move somewhere with a bigger garden, but realistically unless I win the lottery it's not going to happen, so it's more pottering round the edges.

Although having said that, my garden this year has been the first year when I've had colour for months on end, instead of the usual weeks between spring/summer etc when it all dies down a bit. So I must be doing something right.

Limana68

Weve been in our house for 4 years have just recently had an extension so have had to have our garden re turfed half of garden etc,( the garden was never anything special before anyway) so its still work in progress at the mo funds allowing.
Have loads of work to do to get rid of the weeds , and loads of ideas but its just the cost!
We have no intention of moving from this house for at least 15 years so I want to get it sorted so I can at least enjoy it!

tizerbelle

Far too much of a novice to plan ahead. I'm still in the reactive phase were I see a gap in the garden or decide something has died and needs replacing and then go and find something else. Or I buy plants with no idea why / where I'm going to put it. I started on my garden (back yard) in April, some plants (and not necessarily the ones in pots) have already been moved once or twice as I decide they aren't doing well where they were (based on my obviously vast knowledge!!) or I decide I don't like them where they are any more.

This afternoon I decided to rearrange the pots and I can't even make my mind up about that - still only half done now after over 3 hours out there!

shegar

lostinrates wrote: »

Long term.

......
Have been here a year and delays mean what I hoped to do this autumn will now be being done next. Its weird how in long term plans a delay by one year seems so devestating! We might never leave the house we have bought (we're in early thirties, so lost of time to see things mature) if we do, it will have a garden for the next people to work their changes into.

Long term too.......
We moved into this bungalow nearly 6 yrs ago, and I always wanted a decent garden with some birch trees.............but this garden just had a beautiful leylandie hedge 9 foot high...........so I knew us being nearly 50 id have to buy mature trees as we would never live long enough for them to reach 20 or 30 feet, so I bought quite a few at 12 to 16 feet and dotted them around, after a few yrs they now at a good height of 20 feet plus with a nice bit of dappled shade, im so glad I did buy them at that height , I want them now to appreciate them which is what ive got............................we get loads of wildlife now, something that we never got with just lawn....................its nice to see the birds in the trees.................................Yes I know its the expensive way to buy trees big but when time is of essence its the only way,

lostinrates

shegar wrote: »

Long term too.......
We moved into this bungalow nearly 6 yrs ago, and I always wanted a decent garden with some birch trees.............but this garden just had a beautiful leylandie hedge 9 foot high...........so I knew us being nearly 50 id have to buy mature trees as we would never live long enough for them to reach 20 or 30 feet, so I bought quite a few at 12 to 16 feet and dotted them around, after a few yrs they now at a good height of 20 feet plus with a nice bit of dappled shade, im so glad I did buy them at that height , I want them now to appreciate them which is what ive got............................we get loads of wildlife now, something that we never got with just lawn....................its nice to see the birds in the trees.................................Yes I know its the expensive way to buy trees big but when time is of essence its the only way,

Big trees are something I'd like to be able to budget for, once we've go the lelandi stumps removed here...where we want our deciduous trees. I think we might budget for two or three bigger ones, and the rest small....so we get some height and screening ''quickly'' and a wait for the others. Its a compromise.

If we could only afford the wretched digger to start I'd be chuffed!

kings981

I plan for the next two-three years or so, but am trying to get in as many trees and shrubs/fruit bushes etc that need establishing, and am certainly thinking about what works for them/the area. We moved in 18 months ago and I made a plan straight away, but it has been good to see how we use the space, and oserve it from different angles. It also helps spread the cost for planning different areas at a time. When we moved there was a lot of concrete/rockeries, and at first I though I would rip it all out but we have used some of it, and some of it can become disguised!

That is all part of the evolution of a garden though which I think is such fun.