Hello,
I have just joined this site, and I have to say I am a complete novice when it comes to my garden. I am going to be planting flower seeds for the first time and will need all the advise that i can get!

Let me expand a bit. my garden in a blank canvass, so i am starting from scratch, I have got a large flower bed at the top of my garden and a flower bed at the bottom and in between its laid to lawn. I would like to put flower beds all around the lawn and maybe a couple of small trees.

"Nutty_Nick" wrote
I have just joined this site, and I have to say I am a complete
novice when it comes to my garden. I am going to be planting flower
seeds for the first time and will need all the advise that i can get!

Welcome to this Newsgroup, may you have many years of pleasure from your new
hobby.
Just let us know what you intend to plant, and roughly where in the UK you
are (it matters), and we will do our best to answer your questions.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK

"Nutty_Nick" wrote

Nutty_Nick;877019 Wrote:
Hello,
I have just joined this site, and I have to say I am a complete
novice when it comes to my garden. I am going to be planting flower
seeds for the first time and will need all the advise that i can get!

Let me expand a bit. my garden in a blank canvass, so i am starting from
scratch, I have got a large flower bed at the top of my garden and a
flower bed at the bottom and in between its laid to lawn. I would like
to put flower beds all around the lawn and maybe a couple of small
trees.


Flowers all around the lawn, flowers all backed up to a fence, the
frightened flower look? :-)

Where are you? How big is your garden? What's it's orientation? How much sun
does it get?
What do you and yours want from your garden? Patio, bbq, sun loungers,
swimming pool, fish pond, kids play area, fruit trees........
Until you decide what you want now, and possibly in the future, you cannot
plan your new garden.
The best thing to do if there are more than one of you is to get everyone in
the house to write down separately, on their own, what they want from the
garden. Then all combine these into what is possible for the space/money
available but do remember to include space for those things you want to
include later.

Then with that done you can work out where the sun is at different times of
the day and start to plan out what goes where, no good having a sitting area
if it's always in shade in the evenings when you get home from work.

It's always good to look at good gardens to get ideas on design and plants
that you like, all research like that will pay dividends in the future.
Look in garden books, in House & Home type mags, RHS gardens especially
Wisley, to see what type of garden and plants you like and more importantly
what you don't.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK

Hi Bob,
Thanks for your advise, there is a lot more to this gardening lark that i first thought. I will be off to the library later to looks around the gardening books. I live in Northumberland, recently moved up here from east sussex. My rear garden is a sun trap in the summer, sadly though i am told sun is quite rare up here. Oh well time will tell. Thanks again,
nick

On 9 Feb, 08:37, Nutty_Nick
wrote:
Hello,
I have just joined this site, and I have to say I am a complete
novice when it comes to my garden. I am going to be planting flower
seeds for the first time and will need all the advise that i can get!

My advice includes finding a local privately-owned garden centre &
making friends. For example they will sellbedding plants suited to
the area, unlike the big DIY sheds which sell the same thing all over
the country just 'cos they can get it cheap.

Growing from seed is not always a sure-fire thing, especially first
time round. Be prepared for some failures, and be prepared to put in
some bedding plants two or three times in the year, especially in year
1.

Some plants really do better germinated in trays, potted up, and then
planted out. It's about fine control of moisture and temperature and
about protection from slugs, bullfinches etc. Others can be sewn in
situ with good success. Read the seed packet, the catalogues, and
talk to your neughbours.

Keep notes. for a few years at least, you'll find you can't remember
what happened 12 months ago.

Plant -or sow - lots, at first, till you decide what you like. Don't
be afraid to pull things up and start again, or to give room to
something else.

The more you prepare the soil the better the results will be - but you
will still get things growing if you do nothing. It's always supposed
to be fun, not torture.

bobharvey wrote:
On 9 Feb, 08:37, Nutty_Nick
wrote:
Hello,
I have just joined this site, and I have to say I am a complete
novice when it comes to my garden. I am going to be planting flower
seeds for the first time and will need all the advise that i can get!

My advice includes finding a local privately-owned garden centre &
making friends. For example they will sellbedding plants suited to
the area, unlike the big DIY sheds which sell the same thing all over
the country just 'cos they can get it cheap.

Growing from seed is not always a sure-fire thing, especially first
time round. Be prepared for some failures, and be prepared to put in
some bedding plants two or three times in the year, especially in year
1.

Some plants really do better germinated in trays, potted up, and then
planted out. It's about fine control of moisture and temperature and
about protection from slugs, bullfinches etc. Others can be sewn in
situ with good success. Read the seed packet, the catalogues, and
talk to your neughbours.

Keep notes. for a few years at least, you'll find you can't remember
what happened 12 months ago.

Plant -or sow - lots, at first, till you decide what you like. Don't
be afraid to pull things up and start again, or to give room to
something else.

The more you prepare the soil the better the results will be - but you
will still get things growing if you do nothing. It's always supposed
to be fun, not torture.
Top short circuit any germination problems, many garden centres sell
small pots of germinated seedlings ready to prick out into plug trays
(particularly good for difficult to germinate seeds). Alternatively
look at a supplier such as Gardening direct who supply plug plants ready
to grow on. I find this the easiest as they arrive at a time when
little heat is needed but give the satisfaction of growing the plants
from this stage (although working for a school I do need plants in large
numbers (240 busy lizzies tis year for a start))

Malcolm

"Nutty_Nick" wrote in message
...

Nutty_Nick;877019 Wrote:
Hello,
I have just joined this site, and I have to say I am a complete
novice when it comes to my garden. I am going to be planting flower
seeds for the first time and will need all the advise that i can get!

Let me expand a bit. my garden in a blank canvass, so i am starting from
scratch, I have got a large flower bed at the top of my garden and a
flower bed at the bottom and in between its laid to lawn. I would like
to put flower beds all around the lawn and maybe a couple of small
trees.
--
Nutty_Nick


Welcome, Nick.

It is always worthwhile waiting with a new plot to see what comes up over
the year. Also have a chat with gardening neighbours and friends; they may
be able to identify existing plants for you. A soil test, to tell you the
ph of your soil is a good idea, although some plants 'tell' you themselves:
Rhododendrons love acid soil; pinks and carnations love alkaline soil. If
you look at local Hydrangeas you will learn a lot: blue flowers indicate
acid soil; pink flowers, alkaline; purplish flowers indicate neutral soil.
Look at plants in local gardens and see what grows well. If it's not
familiar, then the proud owner may be able to tell you.

As well as browsing in the library, it is worth starting an inexpensive book
collection of your own so you have basic information at your fingertips, and
I would recommend the 'Expert' series of books by Dr. Hessayon.
New-to-gardening friends of mine also find Alan Titchmarshe's "How to be a
Gardener" very useful. It will explain soil types, ph variation, essential
feeds and nutrients ... and a great deal more.


--
Spider
from high ground in SE London,
gardening on clay.

thanks for all your advise,
i am looking forward to getting my hands dirty,
i will keep you updated.
nutty_nick