First time garden-owner - help needed!

elsien

My local independent nursery has a habit of either giving away or selling for a quid plants that are past their prime if you get there early in the day. I’ve managed to resuscitate a few perennials that way. Always worth checking out the plant graveyard section of nurseries. 

NoisyGiraffe

DiggerUK said:

You are finding out that just 'getting stuck in' is the best way to garden. A good 'feed 'n fertiliser' with 'Keep it Simple' works wonders as well.
Pansies give a good colourful show and can be grown all year round. As you work the soil, weeds will become more manageable.
Start adding bulbs and corms in clumps, they will come up every year and are good long term value and little maintenance beyond deadheading and cutting back when done for. There are enough to provide variety nearly all year round.

Long term you could consider checker boarding the slabs to open up more growing space, or even go to pots and tubs.

For now you have the inside to do, make that a priority. On days out go to gardens, garden centres and parks, you'll be surprised at the inspiration you can get. Nosing at other houses gardens is also acceptable. 

Er? not meaning to stress you out, but have you got a back garden as well.....just asking..._

Yes, I'm starting to enjoy it! Thanks for the extra tips!

We do have a back "garden" haha. Excuse the old toilet waiting to go to the tip! 


This is also on the never-ending list of jobs but its right at the very bottom! It'll be a big job when we get to it as we'll be lifting all the paving (its not levelled properly for drainage and it's all a bit too high for both the back of the house and the garage) but we haven't set firm plans of what we'll do yet. For the time being it's really easy to deal with and in spring I'm going to get some pots out there for some colour. In fact, should I/could I be planting bulbs in pots ready for spring? It's south facing so lovely and sunny.

elsien

Yes, plant now. You can shove in bulbs that come up at different times to give a longer display. I do like a pot of snowdrops as the first harbinger of spring. You can also stick in some cyclamens, primula, pansies etc on the top for colour now, and I always have some scented-wallflowers in a pot as well. 
Cheap and cheerful for me because they tend to get hoiked out in late spring for the summer bedding. I don’t have the space to keep and replant more than a few things the following autumn. 

DiggerUK

Don't you dare send that toilet to the tip, plant it up top and bottom. Screw it to that bit of wall, it's a perfect strawberry or alpine planter, isn't your backside south facing, you said your front is north facing.
If you get the gubbins  out of the cistern it will have drainage, to put drainage in your bottom you need a tile drill for holes. Start gently with the smallest bit, don't use the hammer drill function and finish with largest bit, add some crocks and hey presto, you can get a video on Gardeners World.

You could become  the talk of the neighbourhood and put it in the front garden of course..._

NoisyGiraffe

elsien said:

Yes, plant now. You can shove in bulbs that come up at different times to give a longer display. I do like a pot of snowdrops as the first harbinger of spring. You can also stick in some cyclamens, primula, pansies etc on the top for colour now, and I always have some scented-wallflowers in a pot as well. 
Cheap and cheerful for me because they tend to get hoiked out in late spring for the summer bedding. I don’t have the space to keep and replant more than a few things the following autumn. 

Fab, I'll get cracking! 

NoisyGiraffe

DiggerUK said:

Don't you dare send that toilet to the tip, plant it up top and bottom. Screw it to that bit of wall, it's a perfect strawberry or alpine planter, isn't your backside south facing, you said your front is north facing.
If you get the gubbins  out of the cistern it will have drainage, to put drainage in your bottom you need a tile drill for holes. Start gently with the smallest bit, don't use the hammer drill function and finish with largest bit, add some crocks and hey presto, you can get a video on Gardeners World.

You could become  the talk of the neighbourhood and put it in the front garden of course..._

Funnily enough my mum made the same suggestion!! I'm tempted but my partner might need a lot of convincing! 

Farway

DiggerUK said:

Don't you dare send that toilet to the tip, plant it up top and bottom. Screw it to that bit of wall, it's a perfect strawberry or alpine planter, isn't your backside south facing, you said your front is north facing.
If you get the gubbins  out of the cistern it will have drainage, to put drainage in your bottom you need a tile drill for holes. Start gently with the smallest bit, don't use the hammer drill function and finish with largest bit, add some crocks and hey presto, you can get a video on Gardeners World.

You could become  the talk of the neighbourhood and put it in the front garden of course..._

Sorry, you made me do this, but it has to be planted with bog plants right?

Misslayed

Loopins and pansies?

Black_Cat2

Lol, all looking great!  I personally love a few pots for your front bit of paving as you can move them about whenever you want. You've really got stuck in and the results are clear, well done 🚽

goldfinches

elsien said:

My local independent nursery has a habit of either giving away or selling for a quid plants that are past their prime if you get there early in the day. I’ve managed to resuscitate a few perennials that way. Always worth checking out the plant graveyard section of nurseries. 

I'm another one who's "looving" what you've done to the front and am also voting yes to the "keep the toilet and plant it up" question.
I've quoted @elsien here to draw your attention to this method of acquiring plants as I've found some lovely bargains this way too. I also always look in the garden centre skip/rubbish area whenever I go for a look around as you never know what they'll chuck out and some very pot bound plants come roaring back to life given half a chance.