My first garden

cally6008

I'm a novice gardener.

We moved house in May 2014 and now have a large back garden. I don't know which way the garden is facing but we get sun in the morning on the front and then it goes round the house and we get it in the back pretty much all mid-day through to sunset. It's a right suntrap of a garden.

We're waiting for the housing association to phone back with a date for the workmen to come and remove an overgrown hedge for us. It's got rubbish in the bottom of it and there's a deep channel at the back of it before it gets to the wall at the back. They are going to chop it all down, level it off and then re-seed where necessary. All approved, just having to wait now. I'm hoping they might leave some of the hedge stumps so that it grows again and we can keep it cut down to a sensible height.

We have a garden bench which is under the kitchen window at the moment and a bird table in the middle of the garden which can be moved when the workmen turn up. I'm wanting to have a path down the right hand side of the garden which will be wide enough to walk down and put plant pots.

I went to B&M yesterday and bought some bulbs and compost. My plan for today is to dig out some pots and buckets and get them planted. I'm thinking half pot compost, add the bulbs and then top up with compost and then put the pots outside to see what happens in the spring. Hopefully a nice splash of colour.

Going for the pots option instead of in the ground as easier to keep control of and we've got our own cats and there's feral ones as well.

Dwarf Daffodil
Tete a Tete

Purple & White Combination Pack
1. Crocus, 2. Chionodoxa, 3. Anemone

Red & White Combination Pack
1. Tulip, 2. Anemone, 3. Allium

Woodland Combination Pack
1. Fritillaria, 2. Brodiaea, 3. Triteleia

cally6008

Posting the photos as links as they are quite big

What a transformation

From this ...

https://scontent-a-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/10647042_10204183138714980_5728161816452205279_n.jpg?oh=5dc6fe8f5c8bb2354f66c166aadb5cd5&oe=54918D52

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xap1/v/t1.0-9/10454305_10204183138434973_1528973570750131639_n.jpg?oh=5501189abdf96a9e8e0c31a52391fe2a&oe=5490F45A&__gda__=1418628879_69febbaa89f833f712650b7e8c8406c9

To this ...

https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/t31.0-8/10668794_10204260580810984_2332813533394375647_o.jpg

https://scontent-b-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/t31.0-8/10661637_10204260581090991_5316184301309036178_o.jpg

The amount of hedge, rubbish, tree stumps and roots they took away was unbelievable. It's all been grass seeded as well. There is just one gap we need to sort out getting it blocked off before we can let our cats back out.

The poor ferals cats are already giving us the evils for taking away their hidey hole (hedge) but there is a new pet kennel in the post for them. We're too soft.

Cally_Smart

How exciting a blank canvas of a garden to work on! Have a look at gardeners world programme fo rlast Friday .Monty Don planted up some pots in different layers to get a continual display and topped them with pansies for colour now.

cally6008

Thanks, I'll have a nosey at the programme at the weekend

I'm going to hopefully keep the garden simple and low maintenance but still want the feral cats looked after and the birds, a vague idea is to have -

- paving down the right hand side with pots and buckets for flowers
- bottom part will be shaded area for our bench, the new cat shelter
- left hand side will be left untouched for now as next door is going to be doing their fencing over the next few months
- bird table in the middle of garden

I need to have a look at shrubs or very small trees that the birds will like and that I will be able to keep on top of and not let them get too overgrown

REEN

I hope you are going to bell those cats or you'll be doing more harm than good to the birds by attracting them to your garden.

poorly_scammo

A general point OP, I think the best way to plan a garden is to think about what you want to do in it first of all. So if you want to eat outside then plan a patio area with seating. A passionate wildlife lover will want bird tables; a pond, beetle banks, wildflower planting perhaps;A keen cook might want a kitchen garden and so on.

Regarding low maintenance - a lawn and by that I mean a sward of grass which is lush, green, with no moss, weeds in it is high maintenance. I have a front and back garden and decided that the lawn at the front had to go as I was not prepared to mow, weed, feed, scarify etc. It has been dug over and weed membrane and gravel put over it. The only things to remain are my fruit trees and pond. Raised beds and pots with flowers and vegetables in replace the borders. It is lower maintenance for me although it does require more watering.