Feeling defeated - new house and horrible garden.

Hi All

So, I've just moved to a new house and the garden is a mess, with the exception of one raised flower bed. I am desperate to get it looking nice, but feel defeated already and I haven't even started doing any gardening yet!

Please can someone give me some advice on how I can make these into flower beds, and what to plant as it's the only part of the garden that doesn't get any sun, and the grass (if you can even call it that) doesn't seem to grow there either.

Also, as you can see the lawn is shocking, overgrown (and can't cut it due to having had too much rain!) and so patchy. How can I fix it? I can't afford to get it re-turfed or have artificial grass put down. Is it possible for it to ever look like a nice lawn? :( The photo doesn't look too bad but it's worse up close, trust me!

 

Hi @Emily Brookes - welcome and don't worry! A shady border can be useful - there are plenty of plants that frazzle in full sun. Cyclamen, variegated hostas, ferns, primulas, rhododendrons (depending on how big the border is!), trilliums, foxgloves etc etc. If it is a dry shady border it is a bit harder, I know, so investigate by digging what the soil is like. As for your lawn, I have just added some lawn seed mixed with compost to an area of my lawn that was rather patchy, and it has sprouted in a week! So you could do the same (Wilko do seed by the kilo), but it means that you can't mow for a while. Alternatively, just keep trimming it, add a bit of top dressing (sand if soil is clay, or compost if too sandy) and brush it in (I use a cheap sweeping brush) and eventually weeds will be reduced by the cutting and hopefully the grass will spread if soil is nicer.

 

Suggest something like a few flowers in pots just to take your eye of the grass etc.

You really need to sit back in a chair on the patio and take some time to get the 'feel' of the space and visualise how you would like to see it.
Then try and put your thoughts down on paper to provide a basic framework followed by the general theme of planting and colours etc.

Is a grassed area a need for you, eg kids playing ?

If you can provide a plan of all the garden or some more photos we can perhaps add more relevant suggestions.

As you can see, its not going to be an overnight thing, unless you get Mr T or Charlie D in to help !

 

Get your grass seed from an online specialist. It will be much cheaper and better quality with better germination rates. Some of the seed you buy from DIY shops are really old and you will get patchy results. You can also pick a grass variety or mix to suit your lawn condition or your use.

 

Ha thank you, the grass/lawn is for me and husband to look and at sit on in the summer - we have no children unfortunately as yet.

 

Hi Emily, what a lovely blank canvas to work with! No huge, old, unwanted trees and hedges to contend with! It'll be much easier to grow shade-loving plants in an attractive border than fighting to grow decent lawn in shade. As ricky101 said above, take the time to draw up a list of what you want from the space, looking down at it from upstairs windows helps, as does laying out lines with (warm, flexible) hosepipe or canes and string. You can play about with that until you've got the layout and proportions you want.
After that, it would be worth checking that you've got a decent depth of good topsoil and not just a shallow skim over compacted clay or builder's rubble. Good preparation of the planting areas will pay off enormously in the long run. If you're both working and aren't big fans of spending all your spare time weeding, it might be worth considering laying weed-suppressing membrane on the beds and borders, and planting through it. There are those who dislike it for one reason or another, but I've found it to be a wonderful help, cutting down on maintenance and watering, and getting plants established much more easily.
Then you've got the fun bit to come.....choosing plants, combining colours and shapes, perfumes, edible stuff.....we'll all still be here to give you advice along the way

 

Hi,

So from the above you can see whats needed, first get a spade or trowel and dig a small hole where theres some really bare patches and see how deep your top soil is, as long as its 150 mm or more deep before heavy clay it should be fine.

Your second picture shows the soil, but it looks to be a lot of unusual lumps ?
If you pick one up does can you crumble it up easily ?

Apart from the grass being patchy, how old is it ? a new build or just a new house to you ?

Again, ignoring the acual tufts of grass, now level is its surface, not bad or lots of dips and humps ?

The big brick wall, a garage ? is it yours ? would ideal for climbing plants like roses if you can put trelli or wires on it.

 

hey thanks for your reply!

I’ve called in Green Thumb to help
Sort the grass out. I will reseed it, they can fertilise and weed it!

The brick wall is the side of the garage that belongs to the house behind ours.. I’m assuming that we are fine to plant something there as long as it doesn’t interfere with the guttering though.
The house is new to us, but still only about 2 years old. When green thumb came over, they had a look and it turns out we have leather jackets hence the bald patches and weird tufty bits!