decking/lawn and planter advice needed!

Hi all,

I've got a tiny garden - it's 3m wide and 10 metres long, and is completely shaded!

I've finally decided to sort it out after years of leaving it to run wild, and I'm just wondering if any of you could offer me any tips or advice, as I've never done any gardening / diy so I'm pretty clueless at this sort of thing!

About 3 x 3 metres of it is paved - I'm thinking of buying a decking kit - and sticking it on top of the paving - would this work, or would it be better to remove the paving stones and put the decking on top of the soil underneath? also will I need to level or flatten the ground?

Of the remaining bit - about half of it is covered in grass - I'd like to get grass growing on all of it. Would anyone be able to advise - is it best to take up the grass thats already growing and start from scratch? or just put grass seeds next to the bit that's already grassy? Any tips on growing / planting a lawn would be much appreciated!!

Finally, I'm going to put a couple of planters down - is it ok to just stick them down, fill them with soil and start growing, or do you need to prepare the ground underneath them ?! again - advice or tips would be greatly appreciated

thanks in advance!

 

Not an expert, but have a look here for an example of decking laid on top of paving.

Re the grass, if you could post a pic it would be useful to see what's there

Where are you putting the planters? If you're putting them on soil, it would help to raise them so that the holes in the bottom don't get clogged (and you'll need something like horticultural grit or polystyrene in the bottom of the pots to aid drainage). If you're putting them on the decking, same thing applies.

If your garden is completely shaded make sure you get plants suitable for shade