landscaping on a budget

[Iz66]

Have just moved into a new house and the proud owner of a garden the size of a postage stamp which the builders kindly turfed for me surrounded by a bland wooden fence.

i have a dream of turning into a courtyard garden. I enjoy gardening but no idea on landscaping. I have bought books and seen some ideas i like, but its getting all so complicated, knowing what soil i have to what part of the garden will get sun and for how long...etc..i really feel i need some professional advice. Also as im a single mum with not much money or time how can I go about acheiving this feat of mine on limited money???

[andyjevs]

I think the answer is to keep it simple until you have a definate idea of which direction you want to go (cottage garden, shrubs, annuals, herbaceous, paved with pots etc).

This year, i'd be inclined to cut a couple of borders where you want them and fill them full of summer bedding plants.
A border full of petunias, Antirrhinum (snap dragon), zinnia and marigolds....plus some taller nictiana 'evening fragrance' would be lovely...you could add some alyssum and lobelia around the edges.

The colours would be fantastic and the scent from the snap dragons and petunias would be lovely during the day whilst the nicotiana would be delightful at night.

Sow a couple of packets of night scented stock where you want them flower and you won't regret it.

Whilst you're sitting the garden enjoy the riot of colour, you can be planning your next design.

of course you can always use bedding plants every year or totally ignore all the above and choose your own thing....that's the beauty of gardening

Good luck

[gucciman]

i've landscaped both my parents and fiancees gardens from scratch. theres nothing complicated about it and the trick to doing it on a budget is to take your time and do a couple of small projects now and again when time and finances allow.

you need to know what soil type you have so that you dont waste your money buying the wrong plants for your garden. some plants need acid soil, some alkaline soil and some neutral soil, some plants will grow in any soil type.

knowing what direction your garden faces is mainly so you can build your garden and its features such as a patio facing the sun so you can maximise the light and warmth for as much as the day as you can. just have a look out the window overlooking your garden now and again and see where the sun is.

its good fun planning a garden. have a look on the net at some gardens and get some ideas. watch the gardening programs on the telly, theres stacks of them on especially on sky. get yourself a pencil and paper an scribble some ideas down and then put it into practice, building one feature at a time.

i have built my gardens to be low maintainence with lots of evergreen plants that look good all year round. again, you can look plants up on the net no problems.

[sense4all]

Join an allotment and garden society if there is one close by - as bulk buying for members means savings can be made and passed on to all members, and you will find lots of gardners hanging out here who will be only too glad to help a newbie to the ranks.I got more fantastic - best of all local - advice than I could shake a stick at in a potting shed full of wonderful, encouraging characters. As well as a lot of leg pulling!

The beeb has a website with a gardening section.

If there are climbers that you definately want to include plant them this upcoming season so that they will have filled out while you are making your mind up about fill in plants.

A mate of mine sent out cards inviting us to contribute cuttings of things we loved ,or donating things we were 'iffy' about to her - she calls it her friendship bed. It is lovely and cost her only her time to plant them.

Good sources of high quality low cost plants are church bazzars, school fayres ,car boot fairs. cruise the garden centres to read the labels if nothing else. Go to a charity shop and look for some reasonsably priced classic titles to read while you are stuck indoors during the winter months.

If you have kids : do not forget that a ot of plants can be dangerous to kids who do not listen to NO, for example foxgloves are the source for digitalis a drug that affects the heart. Ask your local social services childminding dept if they have a list of plants that they recommend childminders do not have in their gardens.

Happy propagating , Sense.

[Iz66]

Thanks everybody, very helpfull answers. all of which you have said to take my time over it. Im soooo impatient and whant it all done yesterday, but i can see your points and take them all onboard.

Its all so exciting, its a tiny back garden but like all gardens can make it into my own personal private space :o)

[Consie]

Iz66 - if you don't want the expense of buying a soil testing kit have a look at gardens in the immediate vicinity and make a note of what plants are growing well. This will give you a good idea of whether your soil is acid or alkaline. Then follow the advice already given. I'm sure you will find it very rewarding - have fun.