Is this a high maintenance garden? Thanks in advance!

Mat Condick

4 years ago

Series of Squares · More Info

Comments (3)

PRO
Simply Garden Design
4 years ago
Perennial are so easy to maintain, just cut them back in Feb before any bulbs come up, otherwise just pull out any weeds you can see. Hope that's helpful.
PRO
Portfolio Landscape Design
4 years ago
Don't be fooled by the concept of low maintenance gardens! All gardens require some form of upkeep. From the picture I would have thought there is an awful lot more out of view so would suggest that perhaps not high maintenance, but to keep it looking good will take time, effort and of course funds!
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Maybe some evergreen shrubs? They will give green colour all year round and pretty easy to look after. There are no plants that flower all year round, but if you choose spring and summer flowerers and some that flower in winter it will create changing seasonal interest. Easy evergreens are Fatsia japonica (Sam’s suggestion) - exotic looking but really tough Photinia Red Robin - glossy green leaves whose tips are bright red in the spring Viburnum tinus - pale pink flowers in winter Ceanothus - gorgeous blue flowers in spring. Camellia - pink, red or white flowers in spring. Need acid soil. Trachelospermum - climber with white fragrant flowers in summer, commonly called the Star Jasmine. Cistus - Small shrub with papery flowers in pink or white. Lavender - no explanation needed! You can then fill in the gaps with perennial flowers and feathery grasses. This type of planting is called Prairie Planting and is very popular at the moment and very easy to look after. There is a saying “Right Plant Right Place” so check whether plants you buy need sun or shade or a mixture. Putting a shade loving plant in the sun and it could shrivel and die. Anyway here’s some pics: photinia Viburnum Ceanothus Prairier planting ideas
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Hi Rachel. Firstly, thank you so much for your comments, they are incredible. I apologise my response has taken a while but it has been a busy week. We really like the idea of the dark coloured fences and the trellis , something we had not considered at all. In terms of what I have done so far, not too much. A lot of the spaces that are just gravel/ stone where originally overgrown with bushes interlaced in the stone. The plants/shrubbery that where embedded here have been dug out and the gravel brushed over. We did not plant the bamboo, but it was out of control (about 10 ft high and) so have severely cut that back and removed all of the debris/rotting leaves (we may eventually remove this but know it is a tough job so not for a long time). We have also potted some of the new summery plants that are in the pots. I have also started to give the paving slabs a wash down, similarly to the method you suggested. I have only given it a once over so needs doing a few more times and yes the removal of the weeds is a job for this week. My original ideas where to definitely remove the shed, and then depending what is under, potentially Deck the area in a square. Then on top of this decking place our garden furniture and some plant pots, as this area gets the sun 8-2pm in summer. The sun then moves across the back fences and finishes on the bamboo in the evening. Finally, we are looking to put a herb garden in the area that is currently gravelled near the house as this won’t get overwhelming amounts of sun so is good for the herbs we were thinking of growing. We have no further ideas currently regarding ‘theme’, so tropical wasn’t the plan but may be a nice route to go down. Thank you so much for takin the time out of your day to help, these are all excellent ideas appreciated by us both.
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Great sized garden. Here’s what I would do:- Get a decent lawn mower and mow the lawn- the long grass is likely to be wet inside so start on a high setting and leave it to dry before growing shorter. I would also tidy the side hedge and trim anything that looks unkept. When you have had a good clear out you will be better able to decide on a plan. I suspect you will conclude that the greenhouse will be underused and won’t look much good in years to come, that all the grass clippings will necessitate a compost area (ideally out of sight from the house), that tall planting against the back fence will improve privacy, two tall plants in pots either side of the front door will make a huge difference. In my opinion the decking and pergola are a bit of a brown overload but they are in good order and with some effort could be super- so rather than removing them the solution is either to paint the wood, add a rug, buy colourful outdoor furniture or lots of greenery to hide the wood. Long term I would also be considering putting a shed in the drive so that you can get rid of the big shed built to the side of the pergola as it likely hides some of the garden view from the house.
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Hi James. Don’t worry. Myself, and I’m sure there’s plenty of other people, have planted things which failed to survive. Always a good idea to check labels or info online about a plants requirements such as sun, shade, water, soil and it’s eventual height and spread. Some plants will like a slightly acidic soil ph such as rhododendrons etc. so you could get a soil testing kit to see what ph your soil is or have a look round your neighbourhood to see what plants grow well. A lot of gardeners use the mantra of “right plant, right place,” for a good reason. Improving the the soil with lots of muck (manure) and organic matter will help no end and you can use ericaceous compost for acidic loving plants. I usually use a mixture of manure/ topsoil/ compost/ grit because of my heavy clay. However today I dug up some coal 😄. I like the eriobotrya Japonica, very nice. Other plants that I can think of which are evergreen, easy to look after and grow bushy (just common names) are: Fatsia japonica Pieris japonica Daphne Choisya Laurels Escallonia Viburnum Pittosporum There plenty of varieties with the above and there’s plenty of other choices as well. Against the wall I think it will probably receive less rainfall so drought tolerant plants might be good here such as rosemary or lavender. I find this site invaluable and the plant finder tool is very useful https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/search-form Also try asking for advice at your local garden centre or nursery as they should know what plants may be suitable for your area and may even help with a planting plan. My boy is enjoying smashing up the cement rubble I dug up. He calls it Kabashing! 🤣 Kids heh! All the best.
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PRO
Simply Garden Design
4 years ago
You are so true, the client did have a gardener once a week as the rest of the garden is pretty large by most peoples standards!

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Is this a high maintenance garden? Thanks in advance!

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Simply Garden Design

Portfolio Landscape Design

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