Any Tips Before I begin?

Hi,
I plan to plant bulbs in my garden today - Im a first time gardener and would really appreciate any tips before I start.
I have a square border running round a square paved area in the center.
The border is around 2ft wide all the way round/ 15ft (ish) square
Ive already prepared the soil so am now ready to plant my bulbs. I have a few seeds too.
I have: Blubs...
Cactus Dahlias
Gladioli Butterfly
Double Begonia
Acidanthera
Oxtails
Anemone
Crocusmia
Iris
Fresha

Seeds:
Stock (ten week)
Poppy
Lupin
Larkspur

Am i taking on too much???

Im open to and suggestions.
I have researched each bulb and seed and planned where is best position for them to grow by size, colour, sun position etc.

 

Violet, with gardening you can never take on too much.

It sounds as if you have done your homework. And the great thing about gardening is that you can always move things around if your first attempt doesn't work out the way you imagined it would. Do you have lots of slugs and snails? My mind always runs to such things, as I have rather more than my fair share of molluscs. They have a particular liking for larkspur and dahlias, so be prepared to protect them.

Freesias are gorgeous but tend to be one-hit wonders in the UK. They're not hardy and rarely make it through the British winter. If you want to keep them for longer than a season, you can try digging them up and storing them through the colder months. Or grow them in a pot and bring them under cover before the first frosts appear. Or - my favourite - just buy a few new bulbs every year!

 

Oh yes, plenty of slugs and snails...and two cats!
Ive been putting down the blue slug pellets for the last week, I really didn't want to have to resort to them as we have a pond on the field at the back of the house with frogs which the herons feed on and i was worried about the effect on the wildlife but ive found the slug pellets are the only thing that really works! I have a slug/snail free garden at the moment.

im almost worried about how much im actually going to grow! It's a little scary!!!

 

Ah yes ... the pellets. There are two problems. The first, as you say, is the poison getting into the wildlife food chain. The second is that they are bait, meaning that they don't just get the molluscs which would ordinarily be attacking your plant, but attract all the others as well. So you get piles of dead, poisoned bodies. There are some wildlife friendly products and I recommend you try those. See this link:

http://www.organiccatalogue.com/Pests-and-Weeds-Slugs-and-Snails/c61_179/p2599/ADVANCED-SLUG-KILLER-2-x-575g-SAVE-£2/product_info.html

Failing this, make a little 'cave' out of stones and put your pellets in it. That way, they'll be less attractive to wildlife and you can dispose of the corpses regularly.

Gritty barriers on the surface of the soil can be quite effective, as long as they get regularly replaced.

This site also has a list of slug proof/resistant plants which molluscs don't like (a search will find it) - it can save a lot of angst.

 

PS slug proof plants - here's the link:-

http://gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/threads/slug-proof-resistant-plants.5026/

 

Thanks so much! Building a little cave - I like that idea haha
Well the bulbs are all planted now and the sun is shining. I just know I will be out there everyday inspecting the garden for shoots, I can't wait! I never realised how exciting gardening could be. The only problem is im not the most patient person in the world.
I will post some pictures when...(IF) my garden is in full bloom!

 

Lovely to read your thread today Violet.Patience is often a virtue that us gardeners lack but we make up for it in our empathy and care. I wish you well in your first season of growing - there is so much gentle encouragement and knowledge in Gardeners Corner and we are always learning. Only Mother Nature has long term experience but we try our hardest to copy her.
Enjoy,
Jenny namaste

 

looking forward to pics of your progress and efforts Violet

sounds like its going to be beautefull sorry about my spelling

Clare Wot a Lovely Idea For The Slug Cave :WINK1: Missition For The Weekend

 

Thanks Jenny & Folly Mon
I also have a back garden which I started a few weeks ago but didn't really plan it, just threw a lot of seeds around. In the back there are hollyhocks, poppies, poached egg plants, foxgloves (which were already there) and a wild flower corner. It's all growing nicely.

My next door neighbour gave me a little tip yesterday for the slugs & C.A.T.S.
I have a Japanese Barberry bush in the back garden - which I absolutely HATE.
(Horribe thorny thing which I scratch myself on when bringing in the washing) ......
so she told me to cut some of it down and lay it around the garden on the areas where ive sown seeds and then around the young shoots when they start to appear.
As long as it doesn't blow away it should do the job along with the slug cave.