griff Posted February 27, 2013 Report Share Posted February 27, 2013 for the fencing at the bottom (the photo looking out from your back door), you could pop up some screening, that is quite cheap, easy to do and instant impact... you could either do tubs or some raised planters (depending on how big you want to go) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loobie Posted February 27, 2013 Report Share Posted February 27, 2013 (edited) Not sure about it getting sun I will have a look tomorrow. If it is sunny I was thinking about tree type things in big tubs?? Edited February 27, 2013 by loobie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merledogs Posted February 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 (edited) What you plant depends on which way the sun faces, but the beauty of having things in tubs is that you can move them about. Right time of year to get some bargains from the likes of Morrisons and Asda too. Last year Mozzas did large plastic tubs for a fiver and I bought a load. Aldi do cheap plants so check out what they are going to have on each Thursday. What sort of thing do you want to plant? Do you want evergreen, do they have to smell nice, what sort of colour scheme are you looking for? You have to make sure that you water containers regularly when needed and also feed the plants because the nutrients in the compost will get used up fairly quickly so they take a bit more looking after but you can grow just about anything in containers as long as you do a bit of research beforehand. Obviously large plants need larger tubs so you dont want anything too humungous. Which way does your garden face? If you're not sure then when you stand at the back door looking up the garden which way does the sun rise and set? That wall will look lovely with a fresh coat of cream masonry paint (I plan to do the side of my garage this year). I will be back with more advice/suggestions once I have more idea of what you like but in the meantime get hold of as much polystyrene as you can. Edited February 28, 2013 by merledogs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merledogs Posted February 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 A nice climber or two would look lovely along the side or the back. Smaller clematis dont get too big and you can get them v cheaply from morrisons this time of year. Would depend on how much sun they would get but there are some which tolerate shade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loobie Posted February 28, 2013 Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 Thanx so much Alex :) At the moment I am thinking of mainly green with possibly some purple flowers - I have never ever grown flowers so am a complete garden virgin It is to cloudy this morning so will look for the sunset later Why do I need polystyrene ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merledogs Posted February 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 I am on the pesky tablet at the mo and its a pain to type so once you have discovered which way your garden faces and whether you get any sun I will have a think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merledogs Posted March 1, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2013 You might want to get yourself down to Morrisons cos they have some bargains in. Clematis for £2 each. You can grow them in a large tub and either put some trellis up against the wall/fence to train them along, or you can buy an obelisk (£6 from Morrisons) and train them to climb around that. This sort of effect : Morrisons have a lot of purples and pinks Clematis in. I would get a couple per large (50cm) pot because the obelisks they have in are quite large (and silver, which I wish I had spray painted black before planting, but may do this year). Aldi sometimes do smaller black obelisks for a fiver. If you get the right Clematis then you can prune them back to about a foot high every spring and they will flower profusely for most of the summer. Something like Etoille Violette, Warsaw Nike (which is simply stunning - see below) or Le President (but probably any of the purple ones in Morrisons will do) but if you are planting two in a pot then get either contrasting colours or different shades. Clematis like a lot of sun so you will need to position them in the most south facing part of the garden. For a shady spot you could have a Rhododendron or two. You could have one of the larger (medium sized) Rhodos in a 50cm pot or get some smaller pots and buy some Dwarf Rhododendrons in purples, or Azaleas. This was a cheapo job from B&Q so don't know what it's called : This is my Marcel Menard, which again is a stunning colour If you want something fragranced, which is very tough, try some English (not French) lavender. Again, they like a sunny spot but grow quickly and smell divine Another one which is tough as old boots is Buddleja (butterfly bush). They get big so a dwarf one would be best. I have a Pink Delight which is medium sized. You could also have a dwarf lilac in a planter (again, v tough and like sun) or a patio rose (they like sun as well). If you want some hanging baskets, try some Fuchsias (Morrisons will do those at some stage as well, usually April/May time). This is a Dollar Princess which I bought from them last year. They sell plus plants in packs of 6 for a few quid and they also sell really cheap hanging baskets. You'll probably need three per small hanging basket. They have hanging basket brackets in for £1 at the mo as well (just bought a couple myself today). As you can see, most of the above like sun but will tolerate partial shade. You could plant some summer flowering bulbs or seeds as well. I am quite 'traditional' in the plants that I like so I'm sure there are lots of other purple things out there as my knowledge is limited. Re the compost B&Q usually do three big (60L) bags for a tenner. However, not all plants like the same soil/compost type and have different feeding needs, so do read up or ask before you start. Alternatively, you could try growing some veggies. PS : The polystyrene is for the bottom of the planters, both to aid drainage (they are lighter than stones or broken crockery) and on the larger planters they take up more space so you use less compost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merledogs Posted March 1, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2013 Forgot to say, Google "courtyard gardens" to get some ideas of what you like Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen Posted March 1, 2013 Report Share Posted March 1, 2013 I think I'd go for things that grow up rather than outwards so that you don't get hemmed in too quickly. So climbers instead of round bushy shrubs. How about some runner beans? You could put a couple of growbags against the wall with some bamboo sticks. Some varieties have lovely flowers and then you will get the bonus of home grown beans to eat later on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merledogs Posted March 2, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2013 Well I wasn't going to buy any more plants this year because I've got far too many already I have so far bought half a dozen alpine plants (which are diddy and don't take up much space so I can live with that), one rose (Queen Elizabeth - feck knows where that's going), four Clematis (know where they are going so not a problem as they don't take up any ground space) and I've just placed an order for two more Rhododendrons Rhododendron Tortoiseshell Champagne ... Rhododendron Hotei ... They are a decent size (7.5L pots) so will hopefully give me some blooms this year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merledogs Posted March 9, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2013 I have got myself some new plants A couple of Azaleas, a Portuguese Laurel and a Japanese Maple. Now going to hunt out some nice planters to put them in. I'm thinking the Acer can go into a half barrel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merledogs Posted March 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2013 (edited) Cancelled the Portuguese Laurel and just got the Japanese Maple instead (Orange Dream) and then went and ordered another one this week (Osakazuki) Just need the weather to warm up so I can pot the bleeding' things in their containers I've done a bit in the garden today - moved a Rosa Mutabilis from one pot to another because its terracotta pot had broken. Also watered everything in containers because it's been so dry and found a site for my new compost bin. Edited March 28, 2013 by merledogs 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griff Posted March 28, 2013 Report Share Posted March 28, 2013 our daffodils still haven't put in an appearance..... not that i blame them!!! Merledogs will japanese maples live happily in containers? i did have a think about one before but wasn't sure it would be happy in a pot.... i do not have green fingers! need to sort out some new garden furniture, i got a bargain set a few years back from tesco.... cost me £15 for a metal table and 2 chairs... i didn't cover it this winter and it has gone all rusty so i will need to get shot of it and buy another set, might go for textoline this time as the chairs kept leaving white marks across my trousers when i sat down Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merledogs Posted March 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2013 Griff - Japanese Maples will quite happily live in containers but do need to be in a sheltered (ie not windy) spot in partial shade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merledogs Posted April 6, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 6, 2013 I have decided to re-plant the north facing border by the fence, which I planted up with small Camellias last year. They really need some sun and are going to take an absolute age to get to a decent size where they are (plus possibly not flower). I've got some more mature plants which I can move, either in planters or in other spots in the garden where they can be replaced. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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