Hello All! I'm new!

Hello all!

Im jess and have just moved into a house with a big back garden and a small front on. have spent the past couple of days tidying and getting all the mess out of the way. It loooks like one time - this garden was very beautiful. i think they had a rockerry. Due to time constraints (little 1 yr old!) and money issues Im going for a general clean up and a few flowers and veggies. Ive already trimmed the holly bush and got rid of the ivy and all the long haired grasses that were dead.

i have what i think are bluebells coming up in the front and not much happening in the back as yet.

i would be really grateful for your advice ona few things.(these are really dull questions i know but I'm determined to have a niceish garden this year)

1. can you burn holly leaves when they go brown? Do they burn?

2.When's the best time for a fire? I'm concious of doing it at dusk because of the birds that gather in the trees above the garden.

3. On my clearing spree- i have found lots of little bulbs anout 0,5-1 inch in diametr just sitting on the surface of the earth. they have a thick coil like 'tail'..what could these be and should i get rid or leave them?

4. i would like to start to sort out the earth where i'll be planting this year. can i do it now or should i wait? and again, what do i do? just pick ut the weeds as i turn the ground over?
(are there technical terms for this?? lol!)


5. can i put peelings from the kitchen straight into the earth? i dont have much but my tea bags and the like- or should i wait and get a compost pile going later on in the spring?


i apologise for the stupidity of these questions, but I am so keen to start gardening and love every minute of being out in the open air. i would really appresiate your advice and support


looking forward to hearing from you all xxx

 

Jess
Your bulbs may be Daffodils, Tulips or the like, they sound to big for snow drops. You could plant them and see what comes up? Iam a bit of a novice but the bulbs I planted in pots are shooting already, so they must be easy????

 

sound to me like your bulbs might be a lilly from your description,is the outer of the bulb strigy and flaky? holly leaves burn well when still green so long as you have a warm fire underneath, if you leave them to go brown they'll blow around the garden, dig the garden over now and remove as much of the weed as possible, give you a fresh start for the season.and don't put your kitchen waste straight onto the garden, start making a small heap.

 

thank you so much your help is greatly appreciated.

yes they may well be lilies- because i thinkthe rockery had a few pools too so it sounds possible - so you tink plant them deeper rarther than leave them on the surface?

thank you so much for your help. ill try and put a photo up of said bulbs!

xx

 

don't plant too deep, they'll cope just fine about 3 inches below the surface. hope you have a good show this year!

 

Hi there and welcome You describe what may once have been a very good garden. I would strongly suggest that you do as little as possible other than removing obvious weeds until you see what it is you've already got in the garden. It may save you a lorra money.

Take pictures as the spring and summer goes on, so you can see what flowered where - then you can remove or move what you want to change. Check out and see if you can identify where the old beds and borders were - then you can be sure when you are cutting the grass, that it is the old lawn your cutting - and not some gem that you later will spend the earth to get.

[ 23. January 2006, 10:41 PM: Message edited by: Fran ]