Advice on plants!

Street

Street

Street

Soldato
Joined
17 Jan 2005
Posts
8,664
Location
Liverpool
I assume at least a few of you should know something about plants and things although this is GD so I'm not holding out much hope of serious answers! :P

Last year I had my driveway done and they guy made me a planter in the middle of one side and a border down one side. After I'd paid him a few grand to do this, he then came back and said he could sort the plants out for me too at extra cost. I couldn't afford it at the time so told him I'd sort it myself at a later date. Now I've just had my roof replaced and the front garden is clear again so I think its time for me to plant some plants and get it looking a bit better..

The only problem is, I know nothing about plants and which ones look good. I can grow chillies indoors but they aren't really for looks! I've asked my GF for advice but she just did a cop out of saying "its your house I can't decide which plants you want".

This is what my garden looks like now..

garden.jpeg


Ideally I'd like some things that are fairly easy to look after and won't die easy! I just need some ideas for plants to put around the edges and in the middle thing.

Thanks! :D
 
Thanks for the ideas! I like the look of some of those plants.. I think I will need to invest in a book and get it sorted this next week when I'm off work!

I really like the look of that Japanese Maple, have had a look around and they aren't too expensive for a smaller one.

Only problem is the soil is a bit clayey when you get down further, need to investigate if that will be OK!
 
Usel said:
Hard to tell what your soil is like from a photo but digging in 3" of mushroom compost won't do any harm either way.
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Once you get about 2 feet down, it gets quite clayey, although I have had extra drainage put in for the driveway so that should help any water problems.

Would a Japanese Maple be OK in a couple feet of decent soil in top of a clayey layer? The driveway only gets the morning sun and is quite shady the rest of the time so this seems to suit the Maple..

I like your suggestion for the borders, think I'll look into Hebes/Lavender/Photina and Heather! :)

Ahleckz said:
Do you cook? If so, I'd get a lot of herbs on the go. They are pretty easy to grow, pretty much maintenance free (you'll be cutting what you need anyway) and cheap to get plus they attract lots of insects and smell fantastic. Just put them in pots and Bobs your uncle, though you could plant them but you'll obviously need to do some more maintenance..
Sage, Coriander, Mint, Basil, Parsley, Rosemary are just some useful ones you can easily grow.
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Already got a mini veg garden round the back thats got a load of herbs in, could stick some in pots and bring round the front! :)
 
Well I went out to the garden centre today and picked myself up a few plants to put in..

plants1.jpg


Got a few lavenders, some different hebes, lots of smaller heathers, a couple other plants and the Japanese maple for the middle! Have got the week of work so can crack on and get it sorted this week! :)
 
Stupot_ said:
Good stuff, glad you went with the maple! Probably a good idea to get some seeds this time of year also, much cheaper and will give you a splash of colour in the summer. Just get loads of seed trays and start them off indoors.
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Yeh I really like the look of them, it should look great when its got its leaves properly. Wasn't too expensive either, was about £30 for that one. Overall I spent £100 on plants which was cheaper than the landscapers quoted me!
 
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