Need help with garden project [Jumanji]

Hi,

We have pretty much just moved into our house and I am starting to look at the garden and how we can improve that as it is pretty basic at the minute.

If you look at the photos you will see it is quite a small garden but needs plenty of work!!!

I must admit I am a total novice when it comes to gardening so will need plenty of help but here are some of the things I wanted to achieve.

- Right hand fence - I want to have some kind of bush here so we can screen the view. Is there a bush [or other plant] that would grow up higher than the fence? The width of this area is over 12ft ... so perhaps 2 different bushes are needed or 2 of the same to fill that width?

- Left hand fence - I wanted some kind of flower(s) that would grow up the fence here. I was also thinking of maybe having some bush/shrubs with flowers in front of that but im not so sure the area is big enough.

- Back fence - this fence is pretty ropey so I wanted to try and cover this up as best as possible. Perhaps trellis along the back there? Not sure what I could do with this area.

- General flowers - I also wanted to fill the pot with some flowers and get some hanging baskets for the shed. I was thinking of putting some colored gravel in front of the shed and perhaps having some more flower containers there. Again - I don't really know where to start so any ideas would be great.

Any advice/tips would be great. Thanks for your time.

J

 

Images here

 

Well I would rip up the log roll for a start lol. You could put a nice clematis along the fences. I think a hedge would take up quite a bit of space down the right hand fence cause they stick out. Could u not put trellis along the top of the fence and grow a climber up there.

 

Hi LMRR,

Would a clematis climb on its' own along the fence?

I wasn't really thinking about a hedge - more of a bush really, I dont mind it sticking out into the garden just as long as it gives me an extra couple of feet of screening. Anything you would recommend for that?

Thanks,

J

 

Think about how much stuff you want in pots - they take an age to water at this time of year and while things growing in flower bed or borders do still need watering, they won't need as much.

Like others have said, live with it for a bit, take a look at what others here (and elsewhere) have done, "pinch" a few ideas and do a little bit at a time. I know it's a smallish space, but divide it into areas to work on - once one area is "completed" move onto to the next.

Buddleia is a great shrub for quick height needs and it produces piles of flowers, but it can become overgrown very quickly and needs cutting down each year. And I agree about clematis for the fences - simply loads of colours to choose from, blooming at different times of the year.

 

Hi Guys,

I am thinking about planting 2 Photinias and a Laurel Bay on the right hand side of the fence and I had a couple of questions:

a) Should I be planting these 2 types so close together?
b) The area I wish to screen is roughly 18ft wide ... will these 3 be too much for that area?
c) How close to the fence sould these be?

Thanks again

 

Hi jumanji, I have started to answer your last question which you posted in a new thread, however it is probably easier to carry on here.

What is the aspect of the right hand fence, ie north or south facing etc?

Photinia and Bay Laurel can be large sprawling shrubs and will need a lot of pruning to keep in check. If the fence is south or west facing, you could try apple or pear trees trained against the fence. if north or east facing, the climbing hydrangea H. Petiolaris would do very well. You could also add in clematis as others have suggested.

 

Pretty sure it is south facing.

Would this be a problem for Photinias and a Laurel Bay?