Boring Front Garden - What Shrubs Are Best To Plant (UK Only Please) (Novice)?

Hi Guys





My front garden is really boring! At the moment it is basically a square area of grass, with flags leading from the gate to the front door, at the side. At the moment i have a couple of (dont know the name) sort of privet pointed things in pots under the window, which i trimm to keep in a triangle point, but i feel the garden needs a bit more.





I have a dwarf wall at the front edge of the garden and at the right side, so anything i plant can grow up the side of them.





Sorry if i sound like a mad women with the description of things, but im eager to get the garden looking great, as soon as i can. As a complete novice (new home owner) if anyone has any suggestions can you say exact name of plant, and if its available at normal uk garden centres please.





Cheers guys, thanks in advance for reading!





Kate

Boring Front Garden - What Shrubs Are Best To Plant (UK Only Please) (Novice)?
The options are almost unlimited, and a lot will depend on what style of house you have, what style of garden you like and how much time you have to put into it.





As you are a new home owner, I'm assuming you don't have much time to set aside for gardening, and low maintainance would be preferable. I'm also guessing that you're working on a limited budget.





Therefore I'd recommend buying just 1 or 2 things which will make an instant impact, but to but most of your plants young and small, so that they will grow over time and fill out - you have to wait, but it's much cheaper! - If you really want to get into it, then learn to take cuttings from shrubs you like from friends, family and local parks, and grow them on yourself





As for plants, I'd go for a nice clematis to climb along the wall - these are quite quick to establish and should cover your wall within a couple of years. and how about a mexican orange blossom (Choisya ternata ) or a mock orange (Philadelphus 'Manteau d'Hermine')





perhaps some english lavander to line your path?





by the way, I am guessing your mysterious triangle private things might be 'box' (Buxus sempervirens )





and don't forget to plant some bulbs - its not too late to do so now.





Try the bbc plant finder website and see what you fancy: http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/plants/pl...





good luck -
Reply:Tamarix is a lovely shrub/bush. Leaves turn into a pink feather in the Spring.Just what you want to see after a boring winter. Also Broom,which comes in a variety of colours and lavender of course but that loves a sandy soil./
Reply:be creative and imaginative and you can transform that space into a welcoming and beautiful oasis !





i would recommend you visit a few garden centres (go for the big B%26amp;Q they have great plants)





pick simple and elegant pots and fresh healthy looking plants.





you can have combination of hardies (they are evergreen which means they remain green all year round) also hardies come in various shapes and sizes and colours. you can get dark green, light green, white etc and they have diff colour flowers.





place flowers plants around the hardies to add a bit of variety.





You can also get a variety of roses this time of the year which are just gorgeous when they flower.





what you can also do is get some small narrow pots and plant lots and lots of bulbs in them - daffodils, tulips etc and in spring you will have a lovely riot of colours there !





make sure you water them well and also keep putting some compost in from time to time.








remember the main tip for gardening is that you have to enjoy it - you have to enjoy watching your roses grow and enjoy seeing your bulbs sprout.





all the best !!
Reply:Rosemary


Lavender


Bulbs for all seasons-shape and colour to taste


Camellia (hates lime)


Look at what grows well around you..
Reply:All of the above! Gardening is very much a matter of personal preference.


Why not pick up a couple of gargening magazines for inspiration? Also, I use a great little book called RHS Plants For Every Season (1,000 recommended plants for colour all year round). ISBN 0-7513-4644-6. Your library may have a copy. This shows pictures of each of the plants, how big/small they get, whether they like sun or shade, their colour, etc. It's small enough to put in your handbag and take to the garden centre with you - all of the plants in it are easily available in the UK. You didn't say whether your soil is sandy (free draining) or clay (claggy %26amp; moist) - different plants like different things. Good luck - Happy Gardening :-))

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