Plant selection for novice
 

I've just moved house and find myself with a large well established
rear garden but the front plot is a real mess , so I'm going to clear
it all out and replant, I'm pretty hopeless with selection of plants so
I need some help from the more learned.

The area is a plot of 4m wide x 2.5m deep , its on the north side of
the house but is pretty much unshaded by all, the soil is fairly well
drained.

I'm looking for shrubs at the back and perhaps something more
colourfull towards the front, Ideally I would like a low maintainance
garden, I had intended to fill the gaps with gravel or bark. The plot
is near the road side so I dont want towering plants, I think a max of
3-4feet..

I would appreciate any help or advice, please forgive my nievity.
... Tony

On 10/1/05 11:01, in article
, "
wrote:

I've just moved house and find myself with a large well established
rear garden but the front plot is a real mess , so I'm going to clear
it all out and replant, I'm pretty hopeless with selection of plants so
I need some help from the more learned.

The area is a plot of 4m wide x 2.5m deep , its on the north side of
the house but is pretty much unshaded by all, the soil is fairly well
drained.

I'm looking for shrubs at the back and perhaps something more
colourfull towards the front, Ideally I would like a low maintainance
garden, I had intended to fill the gaps with gravel or bark. The plot
is near the road side so I dont want towering plants, I think a max of
3-4feet..

I would appreciate any help or advice, please forgive my nievity.

Welcome to the wonderful world of gardening, Tony. ;-) Can you tell us
the area in which you live, because that will affect the suggestions people
make.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

Welcome to the wonderful world of gardening, Tony. ;-) Can you
tell us
the area in which you live, because that will affect the suggestions
people
make.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

Sacha

I live in Leeds - West Yorkshire. (Brrrrrrr Cold and damp at the
moment)


Cheers ... Tony

wrote:
I live in Leeds - West Yorkshire. (Brrrrrrr Cold and damp at the
moment)


Cheers ... Tony

You will get used to the cold and damp:-) I find ornamental grasses do
really well in my garden which is soggy in winter and crack dry in summer.

On 10/1/05 12:22, in article
, "
wrote:



Welcome to the wonderful world of gardening, Tony. ;-) Can you
tell us
the area in which you live, because that will affect the suggestions
people
make.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

Sacha

I live in Leeds - West Yorkshire. (Brrrrrrr Cold and damp at the
moment)

Kay will be along any minute - so does she!
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

wrote in message
oups.com...
I've just moved house and find myself with a large well established
rear garden but the front plot is a real mess , so I'm going to clear
it all out and replant, I'm pretty hopeless with selection of plants so
I need some help from the more learned.

The area is a plot of 4m wide x 2.5m deep , its on the north side of
the house but is pretty much unshaded by all, the soil is fairly well
drained.

I'm looking for shrubs at the back and perhaps something more
colourfull towards the front, Ideally I would like a low maintainance
garden, I had intended to fill the gaps with gravel or bark. The plot
is near the road side so I dont want towering plants, I think a max of
3-4feet..

I would appreciate any help or advice, please forgive my nievity.
.. Tony

Hi Tony,

Rhododendrons, ferns, hostas, grasses........
Have a look at the URG FAQ for shade loving plants:
http://www.tmac.clara.co.uk/urgring/faqshade.htm

Jenny

In article , Sacha
writes
On 10/1/05 12:22, in article
. com, "
wrote:


I live in Leeds - West Yorkshire. (Brrrrrrr Cold and damp at the
moment)

Kay will be along any minute - so does she!

If you can bear it - try and cut and trim back and live with things for
a year - you may find you have some real treasures.

Personally, I agree with the bark or gravel - life seems a lot easier
since we got rid of the most of our grass - particular the lawns at the
front.

Our front garden is to the N of the house, and as it is on a busy road,
we didn't want to spend much time out there, but we did want it to look
good from the house, and it has worked out really well.

We have hellebores which give architectural leaves with big white or
pale green 'flowers' which stay around for several weeks, euphorbias
with a variety of leaf colours - grey evergreen ones, and purple and
bright orange deciduous ones. Heathers have varieties which can be in
flower at any time of the year. Skimmia (make sure you have a male and a
female) have evergreen leaves, white scented flowers in spring, and red
berries for a long period. Pernettya (also needing a male and female)
have white, pink or red berries. Dwarf willows or dogwoods can have
bright yellow, orange or red stems in winter - cut back well each spring
to encourage the brightly coloured new stems. Maples can have purplish
or reddish foliage all year with brilliant red leaves in autumn, but
don't like wind.

Once you have the garden filled with all year round interest in leaf
colour, stem colour and berries, you can add spring bulbs and other
plants for highlights the rest of the year. Crocosmia for example are in
bright yellow or orange and give a splash of colour late in the season.

Pics of the garden and some plant lists at

http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/garden/index.htm

--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

Kay wrote:


Personally, I agree with the bark or gravel - life seems a lot easier
since we got rid of the most of our grass - particular the lawns at the
front.


Thanks for your reply Kay, on the subject of bark or gravel, I have seen
talk of using weed suppresing mat mentioned with gravel, is that also
the case with gravel or is it applied without the addition of the weed
barrier ?

... Tony

Weed suppressing mat will keep things neat, but if you have a lot of cats in your area, I'd go for a fairly large-sized gravel over pea gravel or bark. I put down bark over my front garden last year, it looks nice but all the local cats love to use it as a loo, which I never considered. They don't like the chunkier stuff.

Good luck, by the way! May your garden bring you peace and joy...

consider laying the mat then slashing crosses thru large enough to remove soil,add plant,replace cut mat over rootball of plant.then add the bark, gravel or whatever. the use of low-growing plants so-called prostrate conifers especially Juniper can be very effective covering quite large areas over time and if a bit spiky possibly even deterring feline visits.

just a quick word on plant selection....gardeners who adore plants tend to produce planting schemes that can appear quite "bitty" (if i may use the term!) due to us loving different plants so much we have to aquire them.a front garden is an ideal area to excercise a bit of discipline ...if you have the space for 20 plants it can look more effective if just 3 or five kinds are used rather than 20 different sorts. you can still inter-weave and contrast different shapes and sizes and have seasonal highs.finally remember flowers are ephemeral and don t last long...shapes are there all year round ...as is evergreen foliage...even deciduous foliage is there 9 months of the year and can give autumn colour.. not forgetting berries.