ok, so the garden is now finally an empty plot ready for work to begin creating a new a garden, the main square at the back is probably about 10 feet by 10 feet.

i plan to build up two sets of L shaped raised beds around the walls which seperate the garden from neighbours gardens & alleyway and have a few questions.

plan to use railway sleepers, any advice? do they need to be treated to stop rot? Do i need to put sleepers against wall to protect wall when i make raised beds against or can i just let wall act as one side of raised bed. height of beds, still udecided but can't be too big as wall is only approx 3ft high

haven't tested ph of soil yet but know from digging its clay based though it drains reasonably well. in one of the beds i was thinking of planting some lovely 3 year old azaeleas which are currently in pots from the move.

the questions i wanted to know were do i need to do anything to the soil underneath the raise beds. will improving the soil and adding organic matter be OK aslong as i make the beds out of ercaisous (sp?) compost.

scondly has anyone any experience and success of growing lavender stoechas and/or honeysuckle in acid soil? plan is too add some wooden trellis to wall to give height and offer some privacy from neighbours which honeysuckle can grow up & across. how high can honesyuckle grow, as wondering how many plants i'd need to cover the walls & trellis?

what about alpines will they survive too as long as soil is free draining because was planning to make some holes in the railway sleepers so they could add some colour to the front. If u need to know what alpine specifically let me know as i have a beautiful alpine which continuely sprouted purple trumpet like flowers from a pot last summer which i'd like to use.

thanks for your help

In article m,
Tiger303 writes

haven't tested ph of soil yet but know from digging its clay based
though it drains reasonably well.

Remember you can get alkaline clay.

scondly has anyone any experience and success of growing lavender
stoechas and/or honeysuckle in acid soil?

Honeysuckle - no problem.
Lavendula stoechas will grow in slightly acid clay - mine was at base of
south facing wall - had it for some years, but now I come to think of
it, I don't think I have it now.

plan is too add some wooden
trellis to wall to give height and offer some privacy from neighbours
which honeysuckle can grow up & across. how high can honesyuckle grow,

certainly 6 ft. It can get into a bit of a tangle, and it loves to romp
over the ground to take over as much area as it can.


--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

Xref: kermit uk.rec.gardening:182291

Tiger303 wrote in
s.com:

scondly has anyone any experience and success of growing lavender
stoechas and/or honeysuckle in acid soil?

An approach I've found effective for growing lavenders & other drainage-
lovers on very heavy/clay soil is to put a very thick layer of gravel on
top of clay, and plant lavender so that the bottom of the rootball sits on
top of the clay, with gravel & compost rather than clay all around it.

This means lavenders etc can get moisure from clay layer, but main rootball
is not sitting in it wet in the winter.

Depends how solid your clay is if you have to do this, but it is usually
easier to put layers of new stuff on top and let worms do the digging than
to go at it with spade in hand.

Victoria

"Tiger303" wrote in message
s.com...
ok, so the garden is now finally an empty plot ready for work to begin
creating a new a garden, the main square at the back is probably about
10 feet by 10 feet.

i plan to build up two sets of L shaped raised beds around the walls
which seperate the garden from neighbours gardens & alleyway and have a
few questions.

plan to use railway sleepers, any advice? do they need to be treated to
stop rot? Do i need to put sleepers against wall to protect wall when i
make raised beds against or can i just let wall act as one side of
raised bed. height of beds, still udecided but can't be too big as wall
is only approx 3ft high

I used some pondliner tacked onto the wall when making my raised beds. They were
house walls though and I was afraid of rising damp.

Jenny

"Tiger303" wrote in message
s.com...
ok, so the garden is now finally an empty plot ready for work to begin
creating a new a garden, the main square at the back is probably about
10 feet by 10 feet.

i plan to build up two sets of L shaped raised beds around the walls
which seperate the garden from neighbours gardens & alleyway and have a
few questions.

plan to use railway sleepers, any advice? do they need to be treated to
stop rot? Do i need to put sleepers against wall to protect wall when i
make raised beds against or can i just let wall act as one side of
raised bed. height of beds, still udecided but can't be too big as wall
is only approx 3ft high

I used some pondliner tacked onto the wall when making my raised beds. They were
house walls though and I was afraid of rising damp.

Jenny

thanks jenny, was thinking of doing something similar but as they are not walls to the house i thought it might b easier to use one of those treatments u see advertised on tv to stop damage to bricks/pointing. anyone done something like this?