Blank Slate - Where to Begin?

pmartin86

@KajiKita - Re the mulch on the hedge, the little guide that come with the bundle said not to do any mulching or covering of the ground untill it was "established" but failed to specify what that meant - would it be established now? its had some decent growth and had plenty of leaves last year, but still very thin?

My thoughts on planters are broadly the same, ive got a few that ive used to let the kids grow sunflowers, and even had a few cherry tomatoes going, but they seem a lot of work, id much rather get stuff in the ground!

Recycling / storage etc are all around the side access, will be a shed and some "storage bins" for the black / green / pink / White bags (this area likes to seperate reycling a lot!) as there are a lot of foxes / hedgehogs etc that like to srpead the contents of any given bag accorss a wide an area as possible!

Cold blooded people aren't welcome! ha

Some good thoughts to have regarding how the garden should "feel" - Ive slightly overlooked by one side as their ground is about 4ft higher than mine, but theres a 6ft fence there (from their height) and ive honestly seen/heard them outside maybe 5 or 6 times since we moved in, clearly indoorsy folks. I need to get some clearance done I think to work out what "levels" ive got, at the moment there are 6 different levels and its just chaos, id like to drop that to 2 or 3 at most.

The "front" of the house is actualy looking out to the hedge, but theres only 1 room that sees it, the house is almost back to front, so the majoirty of the views (living room / conservatory and kitchen) look out the back. The front room will be my study though, so where I spend most of my working day, which is one of the reasons I chose a mixed hedge. Theres also about 6ft of ground adjacent to the hedge thats not used as part of the drive and is just gravel now that id like to plant "something" in - maybe some of those small fruit trees mentioned. Managed to find this picture of the hedge a couple of months in, the strip of gravel is about 6ft to the edge of the paving:

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One last comment, whats FBMP?

@RAS - Youve just taught me more about fruit trees than anyone else ever has in my life! Definatly given me a lot to go on, thank you! The only thing im slight unsure of is a "lopped top"? I assume this owuld be the "main stem" having been pruned? I also assume that this would then stunt groeth whihc is new and interesting to me!

Corrugated plastic was what I was thinking, I remeber when I was young (under 10) my dad built a sort of open framed wooden structure, probably using 3x3 posts maybe 6ft spacing in a "6 post rectangle" and put corrugated clear plastic on as a roof - One side was against the house and the other 2 open "sides" were basicly trellis with planters at the bottom - probably where I developed my love of sitting outside in the rain, the sound was amazing!

@YoungBlueEyes - None in my local tesco this morning, but then they can barely stock apples, let alone apple trees, theres a "larger" one nearby, ill have to pop in.