Incredibly basic question!
 

Hi

I'm moving into a new place next month and it's got a garden :))

It's only a small lawn with a couple of borders, no more than 30 ft
square, but up till now I've only ever lived in flats so it's my first
garden...

Basically, what should I do with the border? I was thinking of planting
up some bulbs for next spring then putting some bedding plants in next
summer... but I don't want to dig up the bulbs after they flower if
they'll come back every year like daffodils. So should I plant the bulbs
in the back half of the border and put the bedding plants in the front?

Sorry I'm completely clueless :)

Incredibly basic question!
 

sharon wrote:
Hi

I'm moving into a new place next month and it's got a garden :))

It's only a small lawn with a couple of borders, no more than 30 ft
square, but up till now I've only ever lived in flats so it's my first
garden...

Basically, what should I do with the border? I was thinking of planting
up some bulbs for next spring then putting some bedding plants in next
summer... but I don't want to dig up the bulbs after they flower if
they'll come back every year like daffodils. So should I plant the bulbs
in the back half of the border and put the bedding plants in the front?

Sorry I'm completely clueless :)

I've noticed over the years that experienced gardeners are always moving
things about if they don't look right, or aren't happy in a certain
location, but they invariably have a good soil structure which allows
them to do that without damaging the roots. So, I'd attend to the basics
before I planted anything in the borders. Shouldn't be too arduous in
your case.

Incredibly basic question!
 

stuart noble wrote:
sharon wrote:
Hi

I'm moving into a new place next month and it's got a garden :))

It's only a small lawn with a couple of borders, no more than 30 ft
square, but up till now I've only ever lived in flats so it's my first
garden...

Basically, what should I do with the border? I was thinking of planting
up some bulbs for next spring then putting some bedding plants in next
summer... but I don't want to dig up the bulbs after they flower if
they'll come back every year like daffodils. So should I plant the
bulbs in the back half of the border and put the bedding plants in the
front?

Sorry I'm completely clueless :)

I've noticed over the years that experienced gardeners are always moving
things about if they don't look right, or aren't happy in a certain
location, but they invariably have a good soil structure which allows
them to do that without damaging the roots. So, I'd attend to the basics
before I planted anything in the borders. Shouldn't be too arduous in
your case.

Thanks for the reply, didn't understand a word of that though stu :(

What are the "basics" I should attend to?

Incredibly basic question!
 

sharon wrote:
stuart noble wrote:
sharon wrote:
Hi

I'm moving into a new place next month and it's got a garden :))

It's only a small lawn with a couple of borders, no more than 30 ft
square, but up till now I've only ever lived in flats so it's my first
garden...

Basically, what should I do with the border? I was thinking of planting
up some bulbs for next spring then putting some bedding plants in next
summer... but I don't want to dig up the bulbs after they flower if
they'll come back every year like daffodils. So should I plant the
bulbs in the back half of the border and put the bedding plants in the
front?

Sorry I'm completely clueless :)
I've noticed over the years that experienced gardeners are always moving
things about if they don't look right, or aren't happy in a certain
location, but they invariably have a good soil structure which allows
them to do that without damaging the roots. So, I'd attend to the basics
before I planted anything in the borders. Shouldn't be too arduous in
your case.

Thanks for the reply, didn't understand a word of that though stu :(

What are the "basics" I should attend to?

Well, you might be lucky and have the perfect dark, crumbly soil. Then
again, you might have a sandy soil that holds no water, or a clay soil
that gets waterlogged and you can barely get a fork into. With a small
area like yours you can afford to dig down to a spade depth in the
borders, either just to aerate the soil if it's good, or modify it by
adding compost etc if it ain't. This sort of work is never wasted but it
can only be done before you start populating it with exotic shrubs and
stuff :-)

Incredibly basic question!
 

"sharon" wrote
I'm moving into a new place next month and it's got a garden :))

It's only a small lawn with a couple of borders, no more than 30 ft
square, but up till now I've only ever lived in flats so it's my first
garden...

Basically, what should I do with the border? I was thinking of planting
up some bulbs for next spring then putting some bedding plants in next
summer... but I don't want to dig up the bulbs after they flower if
they'll come back every year like daffodils. So should I plant the bulbs
in the back half of the border and put the bedding plants in the front?

Sorry I'm completely clueless :)

Welcome to this newsgroup and gardening, I hope you will enjoy both.
Firstly, the accepted thing when one takes over an "old" garden is to wait
and see what's there already e.g. it may already be planted with bulbs.
However I can well understand your enthusiasm to get going on it but I would
suggest a good book on Plants and Flowers and the RHS do a good one. Then go
look at other gardens to get ideas for layout and plants, always take a pen
and notepad with you to jot down names etc.

How wide is the border? Is it wide enough? Often they are much too narrow
and the plants look like they are up against a wall facing a firing squad.
:-)
Next, are the borders straight? Do you want them like that? Usually much
better with a slow curve in them, lay a hose pipe on the ground for the
shape and when it's right cut round it. Dig out the borders to the full
depth of a fork and incorporate some well rotted manure (may be difficult to
locate but your local allotments may know a source or GCs sell expensive
bags of it). Get the soil right now and everything else that follows is much
easier.
Make a note of what part of the borders get sun all day and what don't get
much sun.
Then you need to decide what sort of shrubs/flowers/bulbs you like and want,
don't be hasty, look around at other gardens and make notes of names etc.
Look for plants that have an RHS Award Of Garden Merit (AGM) if you aren't
sure, check them in your new book for their preferences as to light and
water and final size to ensure you plant them in their correct place. After
a season or two you will know what is wrong and what is right and move the
wrong ones to other places or change them for something else.
Most of all have fun, it's your garden and it's not set in stone. Plants can
be moved or replaced.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK

Incredibly basic question!
 

On Sat, 24 Jul 2010 16:14:57 +0000 (UTC), sharon
wrote:

stuart noble wrote:
sharon wrote:
Hi

I'm moving into a new place next month and it's got a garden :))

It's only a small lawn with a couple of borders, no more than 30 ft
square, but up till now I've only ever lived in flats so it's my first
garden...

Basically, what should I do with the border? I was thinking of planting
up some bulbs for next spring then putting some bedding plants in next
summer... but I don't want to dig up the bulbs after they flower if
they'll come back every year like daffodils. So should I plant the
bulbs in the back half of the border and put the bedding plants in the
front?

Sorry I'm completely clueless :)

I've noticed over the years that experienced gardeners are always moving
things about if they don't look right, or aren't happy in a certain
location, but they invariably have a good soil structure which allows
them to do that without damaging the roots. So, I'd attend to the basics
before I planted anything in the borders. Shouldn't be too arduous in
your case.

Thanks for the reply, didn't understand a word of that though stu :(

What are the "basics" I should attend to?

What do the deflactionators know of sufflation theory?


--
(¯`·. ®óñ© © ²°¹° .·´¯)

Incredibly basic question!
 

On 24/07/2010 18:37, Jake wrote:
On Sat, 24 Jul 2010 14:01:49 +0000 (UTC),
wrote:


Hi

I'm moving into a new place next month and it's got a garden :))

It's only a small lawn with a couple of borders, no more than 30 ft
square, but up till now I've only ever lived in flats so it's my first
garden...

Basically, what should I do with the border? I was thinking of planting
up some bulbs for next spring then putting some bedding plants in next
summer... but I don't want to dig up the bulbs after they flower if
they'll come back every year like daffodils. So should I plant the bulbs
in the back half of the border and put the bedding plants in the front?

Sorry I'm completely clueless :)

Good luck in your new home!

Your incredibly basic question doesn't have an incredibly basic
answer! To start with, the size of the borders, the direction they
face and how much sun they get will influence what you can plant as
will the type of soil you have in them. What plants are already there?
Do you want to make the borders bigger? Do you just want bulbs in the
spring and bedding in the summer and bare soil the rest of the time?

I'd suggest you pop along to your local bookshop or garden centre and
see if you can get a copy of a book called "The Easycare Gardening
Expert" by Dr D G Hessayon (costs about £8). It's one of a series of
"Expert" books which are all easy to read and understand (though a lot
of "purists" look down on them). The one I suggest will take you
through testing your soil type and preparing it and then planting a
range of plants to give you all year interest without too much work.
You can take the ideas in the book and adapt them to make the garden
your own.

Jake

There's a very good book which I started with and still have, I noticed
that Amazon have it very cheaply:

The link, (I hope it works):

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Creating-You...0046853&sr=1-1

Good luck with your garden
Don

Incredibly basic question!
 

"sharon" wrote in message
...
Hi

I'm moving into a new place next month and it's got a garden :))

It's only a small lawn with a couple of borders, no more than 30 ft
square, but up till now I've only ever lived in flats so it's my first
garden...

Basically, what should I do with the border? I was thinking of planting
up some bulbs for next spring then putting some bedding plants in next
summer... but I don't want to dig up the bulbs after they flower if
they'll come back every year like daffodils. So should I plant the bulbs
in the back half of the border and put the bedding plants in the front?

Sorry I'm completely clueless :)

I am very much a n00b myself, but may I humbly suggest you take a look at
heucheras? They are available in a huge range of foliage colours and look
nice even when not flowering. In fact, the flowers are a bit naff, but the
foliage is beautiful.


Ian

Incredibly basic question!
 

On 24 July, 15:01, sharon wrote:
Hi

I'm moving into a new place next month and it's got a garden :))

It's only a small lawn with a couple of borders, no more than 30 ft
square, but up till now I've only ever lived in flats so it's my first
garden...

Basically, what should I do with the border? I was thinking of planting
up some bulbs for next spring then putting some bedding plants in next
summer... but I don't want to dig up the bulbs after they flower if
they'll come back every year like daffodils. So should I plant the bulbs
in the back half of the border and put the bedding plants in the front?

Bedding plants are normally annuals, and can be planted after the
daffs have died back. Whilst you can't plant exactly "on top" of trhe
bulbs, you can be quite close. Put a little stick next to each set of
bulb leaves as you tidy them up, to remind you where they are.

The others have given you the normal advice, I'd suggest much the
same, except - Mend the fences first. If you have to repair any
fencing at the back of the beds, or treat or colour them, then do that
before you plant anything. You won't be trampling things or dancing
between them.

Think about where the beds are, and where the shade is. It might make
sense at this stage to exchange beds for grass, or grass for beds, or
for pattio or decking, if you want. You can even cut your existing
lawn into turfs and move them to a fine, flat, well prepared, well
raked bit of flowerbed. Feed and water to help them get over the
shock.

If the beds are bare, get straight in there and dig in as much well-
rotted compost as you can get your hands on, even buying bags of it if
you can afford to. Improve the drainage and the structure while you
can. If they are stale or heavily compacted, you might want to
double-dig in whatever you have scrounged.