"uklude" wrote

Hello, all I have just come across this forum and unfortunatly am
joining you with limited knowledge on gardening. I bought a new house
last year and the back garden is just a turfed box, not even a daisy to
brighten things up. It needs planning, building etc and I don't know
where to start.

All I want from the garden is to sit out in the summer and enjoy the
evening with a beer and look at pretty flowers. By trade I am an
Electrician so not to bothered about hard work, I've put an outside
light up so far which is very bright and ample for an evenings
entertainment.

I don't want a pond, but I do want tree's, bushes, flowers and a bbq.

Please help if it was left to me I'm sure I would ruin it!

Welcome to this Newsgroup (via Gb).

Making a worthwhile garden from scratch will not be instant as portrayed on
TV.

The first thing to do is to draw a scale map of your garden and mark how the
sun moves around it. That way you won't put the patio/BBQ area somewhere you
don't get evening sun or a breakfast area where that doesn't get morning sun
etc. Do remember it will change with the seasons too as the sun rises and
drops.
Once you have that you can discuss with your family what each wants from the
garden, both now and in the future and plan for it. i.e. Do you eventually
want a conservatory, pond, swimming pool, kids play area, washing line .....
You can then draw up a plan for the Hard Landscaping and get that built (
patio, BBQ area, paths, walls, steps....).

Only then should you start to think about planting plants.
If it's a small garden then it may not be a good idea to have any grass,
take longer to get the mower out than cut the grass.
If you aren't a gardener do you think you might like to become one or do you
just want something easy to manage?
Trees and shrubs are usually undemanding and permanent but will need an
annual prune to keep them looking good..herbaceous plants will need more
attention...bedding plants will need a lot of work (and cost) planting and
removing every year. That's besides the weeding.
Visiting some gardens with a notebook at various times of the year will
enable you to see what appeals to you and yours. Take your time.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden