A new start

Welcome to GoY! You have done wonders with your garden Suzywonkles, well done!

I agree, it looks great

Welcome from me, too!
I can see you've got the gardening bug, just like the rest of us. Fine wide borders to get going on and a seat in the sunshine - I think all is going to turn out just fine. You've made a great start. And I think the tree stump looks rather interesting, as it happens.

Thanks everyone! I'm thinking of widening the borders, make nice curvy ones, too many plants I've seen that I want to add, will need to make space! One thing I haven't shown is the pond which I want to take out, there's a leak in it somewhere and the pump etc doesn't work. Bits of it are in some of the photos. I want to use the stone somehow as its lovely stone, thing is what to do with it?! I might just take the pond out, make a feature border using the same or similar shape and use the stone to edge it. Thing is I'm impatient, I want it all done now, I keep looking round the garden to see if the bulbs are showing but no sign yet!

Welcome to GoY

i like those raised beds at the front and what a lovely spacious garden, sounds as if its going to be really nice.

I think you have done marvellously in a month. Its going to be so exciting watching everything come up and changing the look. Welcome to GoY from me too.

You certainly have made a good start and are obviously enjoying it, its good to see the plants and bulbs popping up and very exciting if they are new ones, its so easy to forget where they are, I`ve done it many a time over the years..
Welcome to Goy Suzy, enjoy your gardening...

welcome suzy,you could put a little ivy over your stump,have you tryed poundland for bulbs and plants,dont get the ones in bags as they never come up,I got loads of iris last year and they were lovely,chris

Hi Chris, there is some ivy growing over the large stump by the swing, its been here all the time I've lived here and it slowly took over my garden, I've got rid of most of it but still get a few bits sprout up here and there, time will tell if it appears over the pavement the other side of the fence again. I bought some bulbs from 99p stores; lilies, anemones and oxalis, we will see if they come up! I've also bought 3 wooden trellises from poundland, just haven't decided whether to put them against the house or on the fence yet, I might see if I can get some more and do both!
Thanks for your encouragement everyone, Sue.

Hello and welcome Suzy - why not leave the pond in and turn it into a bog garden or water loving plants garden. Think you have started off really well and all looks good, curves in the garden give it a better line I always think but plenty of scope for you to play about with there. Just enjoy yourself in your garden be warned this site can be very addictive, you could find yourself on here for hours on end, but everyone will be giving you lots of help if you need it they are a great bunch of guys and gals, enjoy.

WELCOME Sue, and well done you,very good therapy I would say (:O) X

Good suggestion Oliveoil, one which I have briefly thought about. I've now posted a question about how to go about doing it!

Your garden is developing nicely, and it's all your own work ... brilliant !

Thank you for sharing your creative impetus with us all.
I find constant watching of Gardening Blogs gives me
design ideas I wouldnt otherwise have thought of.
Being a Goy-er is the best move you have made for a long time !

hi and welcome, albeit belatedly..looks an interesting space and you have some nice ideas..im sure as diane says above you will find loads of inspiration from some of the great gardens on here..

have fun

Thank you, the garden already looks not quite as bare, quite a few more plants have gone in since I wrote this and I've dug the shorter border wider and curvy, just needs to look a bit more established! Once the weather gets a bit better I want to make the longer border by the new fence wider with curves instead of straight and formal. I'm enjoying looking through this site with the blogs and photos!

Hi again Suzy. Your garden ....wow! what a remake! Well done! You seem to be a bit bothered with the stumps. I wouldn't worry, you'll soon have them hidden with your new plants. Just a suggestion, but a couple of lovely scrambling Clematis, perhaps even an evergreen one in your lovely warm location, would hide them in no time. Have a look at Clematis 'Avalanche', it has lovely finely divided shiny evergreen leaves and beautiful white flowers in spring. It would continue on and up your fence. There are lots of low growing types. Make sure when you plant a clematis that it is not too close to the fence as they like lots of water (I plant mine far too close to other plants far too often!).

http://www.taylorsclematis.co.uk/clematis-by-height/

will give you some other ideas! There's always Ivy as well of course, but I spent a lot of time removing overgrown ivy from my old garden so I always hesitate to plant it now.

Hi Karen.... oh my, my garden looks so different from the pictures in this blog! Perhaps I should do another one... but not keen on the idea as everyone elses gardens look so good and mine is a long way off!

There's no way I'm planting Ivy.. the garden was overrun with Ivy and most of it is gone now but I still see bits poking up, hate the stuff. The Clamatis might not be a bad idea.. although would that type creep everywhere like Ivy? I'm starting to like my stumps, I think they give the garden a bit of character.

The Avalanche is lovely. I used to have it on my screen to the deck..on a trellis. It doesn't grow over fast, though it would grow faster where you are...but no, it has a limit to it's creeping, and it doesn't damage your fence like Ivy. Have a look at Taylors page, you'll get some great ideas. There are smaller evergreen ones. I can't grow them, too cold here, but Fragrant Oberon is very popular now, and small, and perfumed too! The evergreen group is called Cartmanii and they come from NZ I believe. Avoid the lovely big evergreen 'armandii' types ('apple blossom' etc.) as they get huge...unless you want huge of course!! :D

Thanks Karen, I will have a look :). Are Taylors good to order from?

In my experience, yes, but you can just use them to get ideas and then ask your good nursery if they can get one in for you. They are usually good at that kind of thing, and it might be less expensive too.

great.. thanks