new garden - deciding how to start!

We have just moved, and I have probably the biggest "project" ever ahead of me - what to do with 23.3 ares of land (about 1/2 acre, if my conversions correct?)

First - some photos...
Here's a view showing the area in front of the patio - some of the flattest, and also steepest ground, near the bottom of the garden.


And the other "half" of the bottom, with the shelter / woodstore (now "tidied")


The fruit tree area, with 5 trees, and 2 "amputees". From the left:
amputee, pear tree (only fruiting from rootstock), pear tree (no fruit), sick cherry tree (no fruit, clear "ooze" coming from breaks in bark), apple tree (no fruit), amputee, and to the far right behind the birdfeeder stand, a tiny apple tree with early-crop eating apples....


Above the fruit-tree area, with garden chairs giving an idea of scale


a felled silver-birch is fighting back in the foreground - evidence that the tree used to have a rose at it's base



what appears to be another flower-bed in the foreground, however, no sign of any old planting, and on closer inspection seems to be a lot of discarded building materials from the house extension / renovation


ok - that's the 1st 6 photos - some more to follow in next posting!

 

Near the top boundary, which shows some mature planting (varigated conifer just to right of gravel sack), golden fir, there's a quince, and wigelia in there somewhere, as well as a purple-leaved prunus....


A closer look across the top planting


The entrance, and small area to the top-right of the plot...



Every garden needs a garden shed!!


... and a shot to give some idea of the general gradient of the plot, and how the house is "cut" into the slope

the area around the lower part of the house, showing the edge of the patio

 

It was my dream too, Armandii, but the reality is quite daunting, and a little scarey. It's a big responsibility. I have always tried to garden to encourage wildlife (and have pooches who get everywhere, esp when there's a camera out!) We're on the edge of a conservation area, and I've already seen frogs, toads (assuming they're the local midwife toads) and a newt, along with 2 different types of dragonfly, and a good selection of birds too...

 

That's certainly a lovely area and wonderful to see all the mature shrubs and trees Sian. You've got your work cut out but I'm sure you'll enjoy every minute. If I may say, what I think is lacking at the moment is colour but I'm sure you've already thought of that. Happy gardening!

 

Exactly, Sheal! Colour, texture, and anything to get you out of your seat and wandering through.... My main aim is to counter the "problem" that the patio is 3/4 down the garden, looking across the valley.
(here is a shot about 2/3 down the garden, with the patio round the corner in front of the living room) I want to draw in the view, whilst also pulling the eye- and body! - back up the slope and into the main part of the garden.

We want to plant 4-5 fruit trees (a couple of eating apples, a plum and a greengage already on the list), need to think about ordering them soon, I guess. I thought of extending the "orchard" further up the garden, maybe making it 3 trees wide, rather than 2, as at present. I'm assuming better to plant the soft fruit around the removed "amputees", rather than putting other trees in their place?

Lots of plants sitting around in pots following the move:
some raspberries waiting to be told where they can grow (2 each summer, autumn & golden, curtesy of Mr Aldi), a blackcurrant bush (you may remember the one my father gave me?) and some cuttings of it, a couple of redcurrant bushes, a rudbeckia, budlehia (can never spell that!) some sedums, a selection of herbs, some daffodils & snowdrops in pots...

I want to have a vegetable garden, but don't have a clue where to site it. I had thought on the small area around the garden shed, but the grass is quite mossy there, and hubby doesn't want visitors to be first greeted by veg. Tbh, I think their eyes will be drawn past, past the house and to the valley view.

The soil is v poor, and is nearly pure sand at the top of the garden. A friend said it reminded her of the heathland in the south downs. There is a geological link from Belgian heath across to the downs, so that is a possible explanation. It means that veg will need to be grown in raised beds - no bad thing, in my book!

I would like to have a pond - but where to site it on such a slope, and thinking of inter-linking ponds, with a pump to move the water (a la Geoffry Hamilton)?

So many big ideas, and yet I can't decide whether to abandon the existing few beds, or try to rescue them!

 

Well you've certainly done some thinking! Most gardeners would probably suggest to live with it all for a year and see what the change of seasons brings, I would certainly consider that regarding the major work. The sun will have different aspects at different times of year, prevailing winds during the winter etc. The oncoming winter months will give you a chance to plan for next year too.

 

very true, Sheal. I know that "form" says I should wait for the 12 months, so I can see what the seasons bring....

However, I do know how the garden looks in deepest winter (we first saw the property in early February, with sheet ice and snow across the grounds!), and also, I know that the previous owners concentrated on the house, rather than the gardens. (Classic conversation when asking about the fruit trees in March: I asked what they were - meaning, variety of apple, pear, etc; I was told "I think there's an apple there, but don't know which one"! Ok, so I come from a fruit-tree area, but I'm fairly confident on my identification on leaf-shape and tree-shape - the owner had lived on the property for 3 years!) By waiting another full 12 months, some plants could be pushed too far in the neglect they have already suffered.

My gut feel is to live alongside the garden, doing what must be done (eg pruning the cherry today, taking the dead and diseased wood out, but no major training-pruning), and make plans to start putting into place next year.

Having said that, I'd love to get a veg garden going this autumn, if only to build the raised beds, so I can start next spring..... Compared to many areas, I know the garden is relatively sheltered. Tervuren and Leefdaal (just 20km away) lost nearly all the photinias last winter - the 5th severe winter on the trot. This new garden has 3 healthy photinias, and no sign of a sick or dying one, either in this garden, or in the neighbourhood. It's a popular plant in this non-gardening culture, so a good sign that it's still growing well in the local gardens....

Ho-hummmm - you can see what my poor father had to put up with!!

 

I'm sure your father enjoyed every minute and you've obviously learnt a lot along the way.

It would seem you pretty much know the garden already and what to expect from it. As you say, the previous owners probably knew next to nothing, so I would imagine it's pretty much a blank canvass for you to work with. I will never understand why 'non-gardeners' own large gardens, it doesn't make sense to me.

It sounds like you'll be getting the veg garden underway pretty soon then and preparation this year will release you for other things in the better weather next year.

I think Photinia's have become a 'fashion' plant over the last few years, here in Britain as well. Funnily I don't own one and I don't know how well it would do on my sandy, coastal soil, perhaps I should buy one and see.

 

ok - so first out-right design question....
On a sloping garden (faces south south-west), with sandy soil, top of garden near top of slight valley. bottom of garden half-way down valley-side, where would you chose to site a raised vegetable patch?
(most of the garden gets a good amount of sun, and, as you can see by the photos, not much plant competition at the moment!)

 

Ah! You've pretty much got me on that one, I don't grow vegetables, sorry! Just toms and cues in the greenhouse. If it was my garden, I'd be inclined to put it at the bottom and leave the rest of the garden free, seeing that you have a dog too. Veg patches aren't the most attractive things and if needs be you could screen it off, using plants or fences. It also depends on what wildlife you have around, rabbits etc, would they be more inclined to steal from this area?

 

The thing is Sheal, the bottom of the garden is the bit that the patio looks out on, and the top of the garden is least-seen from the house (we have a scanner on the way, so I'll be able to show the garden layout in the next few days ) The bottom of the garden drops away quite steeply as well, with just a small area of flat before the hedge, and retaining wall of neighbouring property.

However, traditionally, the veg patch is always at the "bottom of the garden", so I wondered if anyone else grew on the highest point? and do raised beds work on sloping ground? (ie, don't think I'll be able to make the bed-surface level)

Having two hunting dogs, who spend hours following the baby frogs and toads around the garden (one goes on "point" to the larger frogs, until I come and chaperone them to cover) I don't suspect we'll have too much trouble with the larger grazers. There are deer in the vacinity, and I've also seen rabbits, but no hares . I think they will opt for the easier pickings of the neighbours' dog-free gardens!

 

a little progress so far:

The cherry tree has had a little hair-cut, so it is no longer sitting in the upper branches of the smaller pear tree (to the left) and apple tree (to the right)


The scruffy wood-pile in front of the shelter (mainly silver-birch) has been stored on its side in front of the "shelter", and the local wildlife encouraged to move in (yes, that's a dog on "point" to a frog!)
You might be able to make out a wisteria on either end of the shelter - I have started to train them to grow along the roof-edge, in the hope that they will quickly disguise the end of the asbestos corrigated roof, and add colour when they flower (have no idea what varieties, or if they have ever flowered!)

I'm also making a start on trimming the boundary hedges. They are mainly ?cherry laurel, and starting late, I'm reluctant to cut too harsh, as I don't want to encourage too much young growth to get burnt off by winter frosts....

 

If your house looks out onto the bottom of the garden, it probably makes sense then to put the veg patch at the top. Is it totally necessary to have a raised bed? It would make life easier for you to dig the ground in preference to building it up first.

Also where do you keep your garden tools, it would be better for working the patch if they weren't to far away, with a vegetable garden they will be used more than on the rest of the garden.