Gardening tips

10 years ago

Hello,
I'm an absolute beginner when it comes to gardening. I'd like to het started at designing my front garden. With flowers that would bloom in different times of the year so I can have a bit of colour most of the time
I live in Ireland and am looking to design something of a cottage garden.
My front garden is pretty much square with a walkway going across it so that it becomes one large triangle off to one side and another, smaller triangle to the other.
On the larger half I have 3 trees and the garden's surrounded bit a small wall. Very shady part.
On the smaller half there's only one very skinny tree so it gets most of the sun (whenever the sun is out, it is Ireland after all).
What would you recommend I plant in these areas. I would prefer small shrubs and ground cover to anything too big.

Featured Answer

hayleydaniels

10 years ago

Go to youtube and see if you can find any gardening videos based on the climate in the UK.

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Comments (6)

Jessica Kerry Mack
10 years ago
I'd love to help answer this, but I'm in the USA and don't know what zone Ireland is in, what sort of soil you have, or how many hours of light on an average summer day various parts of your yard get. For a cottage garden look, you need some perennials and some annuals. You'll also want a rose trellis somewhere in the mix. While this may sound silly, what you might want to do is keep a camera or cell phone with you and take photos of local yards you admire during different seasons over the next year then have an experienced gardener help you identify the plants that you like in the photographs so you can get them in your yard. The reason to take photographs during different seasons is because different plants will be in bloom. The reason to take the photos locally is because you'll be better able to tell which plants grow well in your soil type and climate zone.
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guta83
Original Author
10 years ago
Hi. Thanks for the replies. Wasn't expecting such fast responses.
I suppose Wikipedia explains it best: The climate of Ireland can be summed up as being mild, moist and changeable with abundant rainfall and a lack of temperature extremes.
Hardiness zones between 7 and 10. There's about 7 hours of sunlight in midwinter and about 14 in midsummer. Sunshine, however, is not abundant (rains soooo much here).
The soil in my garden is very dark and rich. It seems to have good drainage (given the amount of rain here lately, it's not getting soggy anywhere).
There's also a lot of wind, everywhere, all the time!!
I think pictures will help matters, but the wall around the garden has a bit of a trellis, The smaller half is surrounded by the walkway to the house.
Jessica Kerry Mack
10 years ago
Here in the USA we have companies like "Bluestone Perennials" which offer professionally designed garden plots in various sizes for various purposes (i.e. attracts hummingbirds & butterflies, or year round color). Here's their home page and if you look under the link for "gardens" you'll see what I'm talking about. There are probably some Irish or UK companies that do the same. http://www.bluestoneperennials.com/index.html
guta83
Original Author
10 years ago
ah some garden centres here are doing this now.
Jessica Kerry Mack
10 years ago
Yes, the reason I mention it is that would give you a basic layout and some plants that would give you year round color so you get some practice both planting and caring for them. Then as you discover plants you like better or things that don't survive and have to be replaced you can make adjustments as needed for your gardening style.
guta83 thanked Jessica Kerry Mack

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