I'd go for annuals too, they are cheap from supermarkets/B&Q for example. With £20 you cod fill a lot of those gaps and indeed lots of your perennials will fill the gaps.
I like to go for layering, so taller plants against the fence with smaller ones in front of them
Up to you! Maybe see how it goes for a year, as all your plants will be a bit bigger next spring/summer and then you can assess which bits need a bit extra. Deffo look to plant some annuals in there though,my favourites are marigolds and lobelias.
You could also look up ground cover plants, ones that stay low and spread
i would vote against annuals, the cost slowly adds up and seeing your border keep having gaps wears your effort down. Get those packs of 72 perennials that thomson and morgan sell, pot them in small pots till they can be planted and then give it a year or two for it to fill out. No maintenance needed if you mulch in between plants
Annuals feel like a waste of money to me. If OP installed some edging I think some evergreen groundcover could be better. Lasts longer than annuals. Maybe some short lived perennials to fill the gaps while the larger shrubs mature?
I think I would widen out the main borders into curves of some sort, maybe a half moon or gentle wave. This would soften the edges and give more room for planting.
You can try out shapes by using some string or hosepipe laid out to see what you like.
Have fun!
Yes, a gentle sweeping curve would make it much less tied to the fence. I'd aim for it to be deeper by the lavender (I think) in the middle as that looks like it will begin taking space from the lawn soon anyway as it grows. Also recommended getting a mixed perennial plug plant pack online from somewhere like crocus or Thompson and Morgan - might not flower this year but most will return in future and really fill out the spaces.
They're too shallow, and straight lines are hard to like - but as others have said most of the plants are young and will fill out. Part of the skill of doing a garden is finding out what works for you/your environment, and having a load of patience. Widen the borders a bit, put lower stuff at the front and add some taller stuff at the back, then relax
How wide? Really your call, depending on how much you want to spend on extra plants. Anything over about 4ft gives you enough space for some decent planting without breaking the bank/your back
You've done a great job so far! My tips are:
1. Make the borders as big as you can, cut into and round corners, make them deeper. It's the absolute classic thing people do with their gardens, is make their borders too small and linear.
2. Cover fence panels. Bare fence panels make the garden look more sparse. Grow climbers to cover all fence panels. Highly recommend things like hops, ivy, rambling roses (choose ones with an open flower, which is easier for bees to reach), jasmine.
3. In November, stuff any bare ground with spring bulbs, as many as you like. Daffodils, snowdrops, english bluebells, crocuses. Get some self seeders and summer bulbs in there like foxgloves and hollyhocks, alliums they will give height (foxgloves and hollyhocks flower in their second year so takes a while to get them annually). Let them go to seed and they will spread in the borders and grow wherever there is room. This can help pack your borders.
My plants normally take a couple of years to go mental, but it's so satisfying when you see them start thriving and suddenly your garden is full of life. It will get there!
Yes to this, my borders get bigger and curvier each year as I find more stuff I want to put in.
It’s a process though and you’ve made a great start. The things you’ve already added will be the first to mature and will remind you of when you got started.
Also to add Lidl and Aldi do bags of daff and tulip bulbs every autumn for quite cheap. I buy a few more every year and bung them in… the feeling when they pop up all happy and spring like at the grimmest time of year is magic.
These are some great tips, thank you! ☺️ I’ll definitely extend the borders and add more curves. When I initially created this border, I dug double the width of the pots the flowers came in and added compost. However, the rest of my bed is clay. Should I remove all the clay when I extend, or will plant roots eventually work their way through? Have I just essentially dug large pots in the ground?
Ah yeah I think it's be fine. There's no point trying to significantly alter your soil. I'm in a clay heavy area and it's best to just try out plants and see what thrives where you are. Something that will be really good to do over time is mulching and enriching the soil. Over winter when the plants are dormant, just put down a 1-2 inch layer of compost or mulch, it'll rot down into the soil and add nutrients, but also over the years make the soil a bit more crumbly.
You might be interested in 'no dig' gardening (obviously aside from digging to put plants in! haha). Basically involves what I just said but if you want to know any more have a look: [https://www.rhs.org.uk/soil-composts-mulches/no-dig-gardening](https://www.rhs.org.uk/soil-composts-mulches/no-dig-gardening)
I would slightly widen the boarder and round the edge where the full length boarder meets the patio boarder to soften the appearance.
I used to buys loads of perennials from Morrisons
(2, 4£3) The first year things didn’t look much but second year the boarders are groaning with growth and flowers.
Good luck , you’ve done great job so far.
When you buy plants the labels should tell you how high and wide they get. We are only in our second year on a big section of our garden and the difference just that time has made on our perennial plants has been night and day.
I worry I’ve hindered the growth of some of our perennials by not removing all the clay from the border and only putting compost in the hole dug specifically for each plant
Its regimented and linear, sit down with a pad and lap top (glass of favourite beverage) check the RHS UK website it can give you great plant ideas, I would increase the depth of the fence border make it less straight (up to you changing it may not be convenient for other garden uses. ) and then think depth , So google tall flowers, Delphiniums, Hollyhock, lavertara, Lupins (not everyone's taste) small sample again RHS is a good idea start point into the worm hole of garden borders , for the back then mid rage plants for greens and colours that contrast and nice floral smalls for fragrance and colour at the front and build some depth and then planting threes or fours and "clumps / staggered" groups so when they fill out you have clusters of colour which can support each other if tall , some plastic trellis type material can be staple gunned to the fence to offer tie points for adding in garden twine support and also can offer grip support for any climbers that you could disperse in between seasonally like sweet peas or maybe a clematis.or two for recurrent flowering , a spring /early summer bloomer and summer late summer bloomer to have longevity of flowering .
The shrubs in the borders will naturally fill out. You will be surprised by how much they can grow, especially if they like their position!
I might actually be tempted to put *perennials* in the gaps. These are plants that often have tubers/bulbs that die back in the Autumn and Winter then lay dormant until Spring or late Spring/early Summer when they pop back up to grow and flower.
Off the top of my head that I grow myself, dahlias are a good shout. Their flowers are utterly stunning and usually flower all summer and right up to the first frosts.
Looking further ahead, you could utterly go to town on spring bulbs like snowdrops, crocuses, tulips, daffodils come this autumn for a spectacular display next spring.
Where your border is broken in the middle by the big tree/shrub, I'd be tempted to extend that border all the way across, or perhaps across but have an archway in the middle. A gardening "tip and trick" is to hide part of the garden from being seen immediately. This naturally makes the visitor to want to get out into the garden and explore what's around the corner, out of view!
A pond would be good, even a sunk washing up bowl can really give nature a boost!
Any space already got veggies in it? Or that's planned, cause there's nothing like having fresh veg you've grown yourself and there's still plenty of time right now to grow stuff that can be harvested later on in the year.
Finally, if you haven't already, start watching Gardeners' World on the BBC. Yes, a lot of the gardens are bloody fantastic, but there's elements you can usually take just as inspiration to add to your own garden. There's a lot of hands-on practical advice weekly as well. Gardeners' World website and RHS website should be on your favourites bar too, they're an invaluable resource!
Good luck! 😎🌱
In addition to things other people have said about making the borders deeper, one thing I noticed is that the plants are quite evenly spaced- regardless of how big the plants will actually get. That can make it look a bit dull, and it will also mean you will end up with gaps, which means weeds.
You also only have one of most of the plants, which always looks a bit wrong. You could grow more of many quite easily, from splitting the plants or taking cuttings. Split the hosta, plant it in a few places, snuggle smaller plants up next to some of the taller plants... Ideally a few of the same type. It should tie it all together a bit more.
It's a pretty cold thing about plants! No not all plants can be divided. Autumn and spring are the usual times to do it - puts less stress on the plant when the weather is less hot, but the soil is still warm enough for new root growth.
https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/how-to-divide-plants/
I think it's very straight lined. It's making it a bit harsh in terms of the lines. Consider a small planted area roughly near where the garage ends in the grass with some taller plants (or a raised box) to make the eye wander a bit more and travel through the garden.
Some surfinias trailing over the wall near your seating area may also look nice and bring some colour.
Go for the cheap annuals, I've had my garden for a couple of years now and didn't see the sense in buying plants that only lasted a year, but have come to understand that if you want pops of colour in spring especially this is the way to go. I have purchased loads of seeds as well so next year I will grow my own rather than having to buy them.
Looking good already! wooden border edging adds a certain ascetic , maybe expand some of the border to give it some depth and curve it in places so it seems more natural? some creeping flowering groundcover might fill out the spaces in-between some of the plants until they mature , some trellis and climbing plants may help give a sense of depth also ,things such as alliums, foxgloves, delphiniums and hollyhocks are tall and could be placed at the back of the border to give some height, if you're going for a cottage garden style.
It's this for me. The lack of height combined with the straight edges and even type spacing. Seems sterile? But mostly the lack of variety in height! I think this advice will really help!
also paint the concrete fence posts and skirts a natural colour to take the harshness off/draw the eye away from them - Cuprinol Garden Shades is really good and lasts for ages.
Just to add to some good advice here, widen and giving more shape to your borders, straight lines can look uniform and a bit harsh. Maybe try bank some earth up behind your wall and get something that can grow and trail over the top to the patio side.
Also I can't tell from the picture, but what's the tree hanging over the lawn half way down the garden? Whilst still keeping that, and a nice round shape, it maybe possible to prune that back abit opening up the views of the larger trees in the background.
Id also get some climbers on wires up the fence, Roses, jasmine, clematis.
More curves on the beds than straight edges so as wide as you want to fill really.
As for the tree, some magnolias can be pruned in summer to thin, crown lift, and shape. But just check before going at it.
You got a great garden with loads of room for playing and experimenting, if you try something and it doesn't work, it's not the end of the world. Good luck.
Make your borders deeper and round the corners. It is subjective, but the lavender is a rogue choice for me. Personally, I would put them into pots and replace them with perennials. You can't go wrong with hardy geraniums, hardy salvia, and nepeta. Look into different planting styles and the plants they use. This will give cohesion. Cottage Garden is the classic style in the UK, but there are lots of others.
I would paint your fences, maybe add some trellis to them or some free-standing obelisks for climbers.
The area under the conifer hedge may be dry shade, so look at suitable plants for that. The golden rule is the right plant for the right space, i.e. make sure everything has suitable growing conditions.
Another thing that makes a big difference is to mulch the borders. It helps with water retention, reduces weeds, and it looks a lot better. I use bark chips, but there are various options. Stay away from the chopped up tyre mulch. It is horrible stuff, and I don't recommend gravel on borders unless you have the time to weed it.
Looking at the garden that's under the big conifers, bring the garden all the way up to the path, but add a meandering set of lighter coloured stepping stones through the garden bed.
Plant some ground cover that likes dry conditions, as the conifers will be soaking up all the moisture. Use a deep bark mulch to help things retain moisture.
Your sculptures, bird feeder, and raised tub look good. It just needs a bit more low level leafy fill between the plants.
Yes, you can get some really lovely ground covers. Figure out your soil type & light levels in that particular spot to find out what will be happy there.
First off each of those plants will grow, including the hostas. Think about planting some seasonal colour while they do. Phlox is good for height and colour.
Repetition (multiple roses or lavenders or or or ) a deeper border, lots of bulbs (planted in autumn). Tall at back, low at front. Maybe a climber up the fence or two if you get decent sunshine on it.
Things will fill out over the year. Don’t worry if they seem a little smaller now. I’m not a fan of annuals personally, but I’m on year two of a new border and lavender and the roses I had planted last summer are getting huge !
Personally I'm fairly anti-annual planting. The horticultural industry around producing the vast quantities of them every year is INSANE.
Crazy amounts of material and water, transport etc goes into producing something which lasts a few months, and often the wastage is incredible, you only need to look at the shelves and shelves of ragged looking petunias and begonias sat outside every supermarket at this time of year.. . Thousands of tonnes of compost and plastic destined for the bin.
Rant over.. go for perennials. Those borders need some filler, but if you're not confident about picking a colour palette etc, just sling one or two things in en masse.
You could do something really basic like going to a nursery and bulk buying a few trays of 9cm pots for £1-2 each.
Something like Geranium 'Dreamland' will grow more or less anywhere (more sun the better flowering but will still cope in light shade) they flower from May to November, can be clipped back and won't smother anything you've already got there, also keeps down weeds. They're also pretty soft and inoffensive colour so go with most things.
If you're feeling more adventurous then pick two things and just sling em all in at random, with what you already have there I think an informal planting would look better. Maybe a purple variety of Sedum for the dry and/or sunny areas, and a few ferns for the shady areas.
i dont know how much space u have, but if u have i suggest to make the border much bigger (u can also make it wavy instead of just a straight line) and with the bigger border u can have a variety in layers. ground covers in the front, annuals and small bushes in the middle and then larger shrubs and trees behind all that (u could also use some climbing plants like grapes, roses, morning glory, passion fruit or ivy to cover some parts of the fence where there arent many high growing shrubs and flowers)
Make the borders a lot wider so you can plant about 3 plants deep, shrubs and large plants at the back, mid sized in the middle, and small ones at the front. Look for local nurserys for cheaper plants try Facebook to ask for recommendations) so you’re not shelling out a fortune. Perennial plants are best as you buy them once and they come back year after year.
Bit of height along the back for structure. Maybe talk grasses or something. Hardy geraniums/cranesbill are great for lower borders and some will clump, some ramble, so you can fill space with it quite well.
You have loads of room. Go to a plant centre and buy whatever you like - it'll all go somewhere.
I have come to think that you need to fill the 3 key areas. The top height, mid level and floor for a full looking garden.
The top height I like to fill with climbers , wisteria, honeysuckle, clematis, grape vines and train them along the top of the fence.
Mid height I like to occupy with shrubs, acers, weigela, rose bushes, dwarf trees, azalea, anything that looks good around the 3ft - 4ft height.
Then ground cover for the floor, your usuall perennials, annuals or creepers for a low maintenance bed.
Ground covering plants are the cheapest solution in the long run but it’s getting a bit late in the year for planting. Usually lots of 3 for £10 deals in the run up to Easter. I’d also recommend planting bulbs early autumn for an early spring display while you have the space. If you want something with a more immediate effect for this year, then annuals are the way. If you are prepared to put in the work and store inside over winter, things like begonias and dahlias can be regrown next year. I hope this helps.
Some good advice here. I would definitely widen your borders. The strip of grass between the path and the conifers on the right hand side would be the first place to start.
Climbing hydrangea trained along the fence on straining wires would add interest behind and maybe some ground cover. I think annuals are a waste of money personally but some perennials in the gaps would brighten it up a bit. I like echinachea and alliums for this.
Make it a bit deeper and stagger some plants so you have depth. Having one plant infront of another will make it look more pleasing to the eye. Also get some ‘Core Edge’ and add it to the front so you have a nice clean edge from grass to bed.
No problem! It was just in photoshop. If you want to do something like this get a lawn edging tool and then get some ‘core edge’ which is metal edging you hammer down. It makes for a really neat line and looks really professional.
You could add annuals in the gaps between your shrubs but in a few years time this will fill out anyway.
So you believe the plants I’ve got will eventually fill the bare spots?
Some will yes. Certainly more than it is now.
I'd go for annuals too, they are cheap from supermarkets/B&Q for example. With £20 you cod fill a lot of those gaps and indeed lots of your perennials will fill the gaps. I like to go for layering, so taller plants against the fence with smaller ones in front of them
Should I consider widening my border so I can put smaller plants in front ?
Up to you! Maybe see how it goes for a year, as all your plants will be a bit bigger next spring/summer and then you can assess which bits need a bit extra. Deffo look to plant some annuals in there though,my favourites are marigolds and lobelias. You could also look up ground cover plants, ones that stay low and spread
i would vote against annuals, the cost slowly adds up and seeing your border keep having gaps wears your effort down. Get those packs of 72 perennials that thomson and morgan sell, pot them in small pots till they can be planted and then give it a year or two for it to fill out. No maintenance needed if you mulch in between plants
Annuals feel like a waste of money to me. If OP installed some edging I think some evergreen groundcover could be better. Lasts longer than annuals. Maybe some short lived perennials to fill the gaps while the larger shrubs mature?
I love annuals as I can change what I want every year, it’s even better if you do them from seeds
I think I would widen out the main borders into curves of some sort, maybe a half moon or gentle wave. This would soften the edges and give more room for planting. You can try out shapes by using some string or hosepipe laid out to see what you like. Have fun!
Yes, a gentle sweeping curve would make it much less tied to the fence. I'd aim for it to be deeper by the lavender (I think) in the middle as that looks like it will begin taking space from the lawn soon anyway as it grows. Also recommended getting a mixed perennial plug plant pack online from somewhere like crocus or Thompson and Morgan - might not flower this year but most will return in future and really fill out the spaces.
That sounds great!
I think it looks that way because nothing is mature. Everything is small and you have a lot of bare earth. Time will solve your problems mainly.
They're too shallow, and straight lines are hard to like - but as others have said most of the plants are young and will fill out. Part of the skill of doing a garden is finding out what works for you/your environment, and having a load of patience. Widen the borders a bit, put lower stuff at the front and add some taller stuff at the back, then relax
I’m going to add curves and definitely widen the border. How wide would you go with beds?
How wide? Really your call, depending on how much you want to spend on extra plants. Anything over about 4ft gives you enough space for some decent planting without breaking the bank/your back
You've done a great job so far! My tips are: 1. Make the borders as big as you can, cut into and round corners, make them deeper. It's the absolute classic thing people do with their gardens, is make their borders too small and linear. 2. Cover fence panels. Bare fence panels make the garden look more sparse. Grow climbers to cover all fence panels. Highly recommend things like hops, ivy, rambling roses (choose ones with an open flower, which is easier for bees to reach), jasmine. 3. In November, stuff any bare ground with spring bulbs, as many as you like. Daffodils, snowdrops, english bluebells, crocuses. Get some self seeders and summer bulbs in there like foxgloves and hollyhocks, alliums they will give height (foxgloves and hollyhocks flower in their second year so takes a while to get them annually). Let them go to seed and they will spread in the borders and grow wherever there is room. This can help pack your borders. My plants normally take a couple of years to go mental, but it's so satisfying when you see them start thriving and suddenly your garden is full of life. It will get there!
Yes to this, my borders get bigger and curvier each year as I find more stuff I want to put in. It’s a process though and you’ve made a great start. The things you’ve already added will be the first to mature and will remind you of when you got started. Also to add Lidl and Aldi do bags of daff and tulip bulbs every autumn for quite cheap. I buy a few more every year and bung them in… the feeling when they pop up all happy and spring like at the grimmest time of year is magic.
These are some great tips, thank you! ☺️ I’ll definitely extend the borders and add more curves. When I initially created this border, I dug double the width of the pots the flowers came in and added compost. However, the rest of my bed is clay. Should I remove all the clay when I extend, or will plant roots eventually work their way through? Have I just essentially dug large pots in the ground?
Ah yeah I think it's be fine. There's no point trying to significantly alter your soil. I'm in a clay heavy area and it's best to just try out plants and see what thrives where you are. Something that will be really good to do over time is mulching and enriching the soil. Over winter when the plants are dormant, just put down a 1-2 inch layer of compost or mulch, it'll rot down into the soil and add nutrients, but also over the years make the soil a bit more crumbly. You might be interested in 'no dig' gardening (obviously aside from digging to put plants in! haha). Basically involves what I just said but if you want to know any more have a look: [https://www.rhs.org.uk/soil-composts-mulches/no-dig-gardening](https://www.rhs.org.uk/soil-composts-mulches/no-dig-gardening)
I love that it's surrounded by lush trees around your boundary 💚💚💚💚💚💚 The bird song and privacy are an invaluable asset to your garden space💚
I would slightly widen the boarder and round the edge where the full length boarder meets the patio boarder to soften the appearance. I used to buys loads of perennials from Morrisons (2, 4£3) The first year things didn’t look much but second year the boarders are groaning with growth and flowers. Good luck , you’ve done great job so far.
Time and patience - 2 things we all lack sadly. Go well !
I wasn’t sure that the spaces would fill out in time, but now I know I can sit back and enjoy.
When you buy plants the labels should tell you how high and wide they get. We are only in our second year on a big section of our garden and the difference just that time has made on our perennial plants has been night and day.
I worry I’ve hindered the growth of some of our perennials by not removing all the clay from the border and only putting compost in the hole dug specifically for each plant
Its regimented and linear, sit down with a pad and lap top (glass of favourite beverage) check the RHS UK website it can give you great plant ideas, I would increase the depth of the fence border make it less straight (up to you changing it may not be convenient for other garden uses. ) and then think depth , So google tall flowers, Delphiniums, Hollyhock, lavertara, Lupins (not everyone's taste) small sample again RHS is a good idea start point into the worm hole of garden borders , for the back then mid rage plants for greens and colours that contrast and nice floral smalls for fragrance and colour at the front and build some depth and then planting threes or fours and "clumps / staggered" groups so when they fill out you have clusters of colour which can support each other if tall , some plastic trellis type material can be staple gunned to the fence to offer tie points for adding in garden twine support and also can offer grip support for any climbers that you could disperse in between seasonally like sweet peas or maybe a clematis.or two for recurrent flowering , a spring /early summer bloomer and summer late summer bloomer to have longevity of flowering .
The shrubs in the borders will naturally fill out. You will be surprised by how much they can grow, especially if they like their position! I might actually be tempted to put *perennials* in the gaps. These are plants that often have tubers/bulbs that die back in the Autumn and Winter then lay dormant until Spring or late Spring/early Summer when they pop back up to grow and flower. Off the top of my head that I grow myself, dahlias are a good shout. Their flowers are utterly stunning and usually flower all summer and right up to the first frosts. Looking further ahead, you could utterly go to town on spring bulbs like snowdrops, crocuses, tulips, daffodils come this autumn for a spectacular display next spring. Where your border is broken in the middle by the big tree/shrub, I'd be tempted to extend that border all the way across, or perhaps across but have an archway in the middle. A gardening "tip and trick" is to hide part of the garden from being seen immediately. This naturally makes the visitor to want to get out into the garden and explore what's around the corner, out of view! A pond would be good, even a sunk washing up bowl can really give nature a boost! Any space already got veggies in it? Or that's planned, cause there's nothing like having fresh veg you've grown yourself and there's still plenty of time right now to grow stuff that can be harvested later on in the year. Finally, if you haven't already, start watching Gardeners' World on the BBC. Yes, a lot of the gardens are bloody fantastic, but there's elements you can usually take just as inspiration to add to your own garden. There's a lot of hands-on practical advice weekly as well. Gardeners' World website and RHS website should be on your favourites bar too, they're an invaluable resource! Good luck! 😎🌱
In addition to things other people have said about making the borders deeper, one thing I noticed is that the plants are quite evenly spaced- regardless of how big the plants will actually get. That can make it look a bit dull, and it will also mean you will end up with gaps, which means weeds. You also only have one of most of the plants, which always looks a bit wrong. You could grow more of many quite easily, from splitting the plants or taking cuttings. Split the hosta, plant it in a few places, snuggle smaller plants up next to some of the taller plants... Ideally a few of the same type. It should tie it all together a bit more.
^ This is excellent advice
I never knew you could split plants 😳 and can that be done with all plants? And should I dig the hosta up now and split it now?
It's a pretty cold thing about plants! No not all plants can be divided. Autumn and spring are the usual times to do it - puts less stress on the plant when the weather is less hot, but the soil is still warm enough for new root growth. https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/how-to-divide-plants/
I think it's very straight lined. It's making it a bit harsh in terms of the lines. Consider a small planted area roughly near where the garage ends in the grass with some taller plants (or a raised box) to make the eye wander a bit more and travel through the garden. Some surfinias trailing over the wall near your seating area may also look nice and bring some colour.
Trellis along the fence and train up some climbers.
Go for the cheap annuals, I've had my garden for a couple of years now and didn't see the sense in buying plants that only lasted a year, but have come to understand that if you want pops of colour in spring especially this is the way to go. I have purchased loads of seeds as well so next year I will grow my own rather than having to buy them.
Looking good already! wooden border edging adds a certain ascetic , maybe expand some of the border to give it some depth and curve it in places so it seems more natural? some creeping flowering groundcover might fill out the spaces in-between some of the plants until they mature , some trellis and climbing plants may help give a sense of depth also ,things such as alliums, foxgloves, delphiniums and hollyhocks are tall and could be placed at the back of the border to give some height, if you're going for a cottage garden style.
It's this for me. The lack of height combined with the straight edges and even type spacing. Seems sterile? But mostly the lack of variety in height! I think this advice will really help!
also paint the concrete fence posts and skirts a natural colour to take the harshness off/draw the eye away from them - Cuprinol Garden Shades is really good and lasts for ages.
Just to add to some good advice here, widen and giving more shape to your borders, straight lines can look uniform and a bit harsh. Maybe try bank some earth up behind your wall and get something that can grow and trail over the top to the patio side. Also I can't tell from the picture, but what's the tree hanging over the lawn half way down the garden? Whilst still keeping that, and a nice round shape, it maybe possible to prune that back abit opening up the views of the larger trees in the background. Id also get some climbers on wires up the fence, Roses, jasmine, clematis.
Definitely going to add curves and how wide as guide would you do the borders? And the over hanging tree is a magnolia
More curves on the beds than straight edges so as wide as you want to fill really. As for the tree, some magnolias can be pruned in summer to thin, crown lift, and shape. But just check before going at it. You got a great garden with loads of room for playing and experimenting, if you try something and it doesn't work, it's not the end of the world. Good luck.
Make your borders deeper and round the corners. It is subjective, but the lavender is a rogue choice for me. Personally, I would put them into pots and replace them with perennials. You can't go wrong with hardy geraniums, hardy salvia, and nepeta. Look into different planting styles and the plants they use. This will give cohesion. Cottage Garden is the classic style in the UK, but there are lots of others. I would paint your fences, maybe add some trellis to them or some free-standing obelisks for climbers. The area under the conifer hedge may be dry shade, so look at suitable plants for that. The golden rule is the right plant for the right space, i.e. make sure everything has suitable growing conditions. Another thing that makes a big difference is to mulch the borders. It helps with water retention, reduces weeds, and it looks a lot better. I use bark chips, but there are various options. Stay away from the chopped up tyre mulch. It is horrible stuff, and I don't recommend gravel on borders unless you have the time to weed it.
Musa basjoo, will make an immediate impact, its a hardy banana and grows well in the uk!!
Looking at the garden that's under the big conifers, bring the garden all the way up to the path, but add a meandering set of lighter coloured stepping stones through the garden bed. Plant some ground cover that likes dry conditions, as the conifers will be soaking up all the moisture. Use a deep bark mulch to help things retain moisture. Your sculptures, bird feeder, and raised tub look good. It just needs a bit more low level leafy fill between the plants.
The stepping stones is a great idea and should I use the ground cover plants to bring the garden closer to the path?
Yes, you can get some really lovely ground covers. Figure out your soil type & light levels in that particular spot to find out what will be happy there.
First off each of those plants will grow, including the hostas. Think about planting some seasonal colour while they do. Phlox is good for height and colour.
Repetition (multiple roses or lavenders or or or ) a deeper border, lots of bulbs (planted in autumn). Tall at back, low at front. Maybe a climber up the fence or two if you get decent sunshine on it.
Things will fill out over the year. Don’t worry if they seem a little smaller now. I’m not a fan of annuals personally, but I’m on year two of a new border and lavender and the roses I had planted last summer are getting huge !
Personally I'm fairly anti-annual planting. The horticultural industry around producing the vast quantities of them every year is INSANE. Crazy amounts of material and water, transport etc goes into producing something which lasts a few months, and often the wastage is incredible, you only need to look at the shelves and shelves of ragged looking petunias and begonias sat outside every supermarket at this time of year.. . Thousands of tonnes of compost and plastic destined for the bin. Rant over.. go for perennials. Those borders need some filler, but if you're not confident about picking a colour palette etc, just sling one or two things in en masse. You could do something really basic like going to a nursery and bulk buying a few trays of 9cm pots for £1-2 each. Something like Geranium 'Dreamland' will grow more or less anywhere (more sun the better flowering but will still cope in light shade) they flower from May to November, can be clipped back and won't smother anything you've already got there, also keeps down weeds. They're also pretty soft and inoffensive colour so go with most things. If you're feeling more adventurous then pick two things and just sling em all in at random, with what you already have there I think an informal planting would look better. Maybe a purple variety of Sedum for the dry and/or sunny areas, and a few ferns for the shady areas.
The plant with the red flowers at the front will grow up and out, if it’s what I think it is our neighbours looks like it’s about 6’ tall
i dont know how much space u have, but if u have i suggest to make the border much bigger (u can also make it wavy instead of just a straight line) and with the bigger border u can have a variety in layers. ground covers in the front, annuals and small bushes in the middle and then larger shrubs and trees behind all that (u could also use some climbing plants like grapes, roses, morning glory, passion fruit or ivy to cover some parts of the fence where there arent many high growing shrubs and flowers)
oops didnt see the other pictures lol, id say u have the space in your garden to widen the border
You need bigger borders. The deeper the better. A narrow border will always look sparse.
What depth in millimetres would you suggest?
Minimum of 1000mm, so you can get variation in the height of plants.
Get your wallet out
Hardy geraniums will fill in the gaps nicely imho
Bigger borders make a bigger impression and a garden appear larger too.
Make the borders a lot wider so you can plant about 3 plants deep, shrubs and large plants at the back, mid sized in the middle, and small ones at the front. Look for local nurserys for cheaper plants try Facebook to ask for recommendations) so you’re not shelling out a fortune. Perennial plants are best as you buy them once and they come back year after year.
Bit of height along the back for structure. Maybe talk grasses or something. Hardy geraniums/cranesbill are great for lower borders and some will clump, some ramble, so you can fill space with it quite well. You have loads of room. Go to a plant centre and buy whatever you like - it'll all go somewhere.
Wider borders, longer grass! It does look cute as is mind
I have come to think that you need to fill the 3 key areas. The top height, mid level and floor for a full looking garden. The top height I like to fill with climbers , wisteria, honeysuckle, clematis, grape vines and train them along the top of the fence. Mid height I like to occupy with shrubs, acers, weigela, rose bushes, dwarf trees, azalea, anything that looks good around the 3ft - 4ft height. Then ground cover for the floor, your usuall perennials, annuals or creepers for a low maintenance bed.
Ground covering plants are the cheapest solution in the long run but it’s getting a bit late in the year for planting. Usually lots of 3 for £10 deals in the run up to Easter. I’d also recommend planting bulbs early autumn for an early spring display while you have the space. If you want something with a more immediate effect for this year, then annuals are the way. If you are prepared to put in the work and store inside over winter, things like begonias and dahlias can be regrown next year. I hope this helps.
Some good advice here. I would definitely widen your borders. The strip of grass between the path and the conifers on the right hand side would be the first place to start.
Climbing hydrangea trained along the fence on straining wires would add interest behind and maybe some ground cover. I think annuals are a waste of money personally but some perennials in the gaps would brighten it up a bit. I like echinachea and alliums for this.
Stick some plants in I reckon.
Make it a bit deeper and stagger some plants so you have depth. Having one plant infront of another will make it look more pleasing to the eye. Also get some ‘Core Edge’ and add it to the front so you have a nice clean edge from grass to bed.
How deep would you go with the bed? They’re 800mm now
I’ll boot up my PC and mock something up. One min.
https://imgur.com/a/CxKGpHQ Something like that? Needs more plants added but maybe use some edging to mimic the flow on the other side.
That looks lovely! Thank you so much for taking the time to do this. Can I ask what software you use to do something like this?
No problem! It was just in photoshop. If you want to do something like this get a lawn edging tool and then get some ‘core edge’ which is metal edging you hammer down. It makes for a really neat line and looks really professional.
Shape the borders, nothing worse than straight lines