Hello everyone,
I am new here, and also rather new to gardening. I am moving next month to a house that is south-facing and contains a tiny front garden. (At the moment the only thing in it is weeds...)

I could post a pic of the front of the house though I noticed on the forum rules it advises us not to post pictures right away.

I would like to do something right away to improve the appearance. I plan to find some flowers to put in individual pots, but I'd also like to plant a couple climbers of some sort to climb up the front of the brick house. Looking for something not too fussy, and that will grow quickly.

Secondly, in the back garden (which would be north-facing) there is a lovely wooden arbour that is quite tall. Currently it is completely without any plants at all and is crying out for something. I am also looking for something very vigorous and fast growing that will also look lovely as well.

I don't have a huge budget so any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Regards,
Sandra T

Be very wary of stuff that grows quickly, it can become a problem later. Better to be a bit patient.

The kind of climber that you have to secure on wires or a trellis is a bit more effort, but less of a problem than kind that will stick to your bricks and pull the pointing out.

Given you have a south-facing wall, why not grow a grape vine? There are a couple of amazing mildew-resistant cool-climate-ripening varieties now available, called Phoenix (white) and Regent (Black). I'm just tucking into sweet, delicious home-grown out-door grapes, from my Phoenix vine, even after this damp squib of a summer. I only planted the thing 18 months ago, and I've got about 12 bunches this year, and it has covered the garage wall. Of course, being deciduous, and requiring pruning, it isn't much to look at in the winter. I'm so delighted with it I've just put a Regent in too, on another wall.

But having a sunny wall, there are probably an amazing variety of climbers you can grow, but remember the great majority of hardy climbers are deciduous. Though a friend of mine got an abutilon to survive the winter on a south-facing house wall through last winter in Glos. Mine, supposely a hardier one, but against a fence, was frozen to the ground and has only recently resprouted a bit.

Sandra Tingle wrote in
:


Hello everyone,
I am new here, and also rather new to gardening. I am moving next month
to a house that is south-facing and contains a tiny front garden. (At
the moment the only thing in it is weeds...)

I could post a pic of the front of the house though I noticed on the
forum rules it advises us not to post pictures right away.

I would like to do something right away to improve the appearance. I
plan to find some flowers to put in individual pots, but I'd also like
to plant a couple climbers of some sort to climb up the front of the
brick house. Looking for something not too fussy, and that will grow
quickly.

Secondly, in the back garden (which would be north-facing) there is a
lovely wooden arbour that is quite tall. Currently it is completely
without any plants at all and is crying out for something. I am also
looking for something very vigorous and fast growing that will also look
lovely as well.

I don't have a huge budget so any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Regards,
Sandra T





Can you ask in gardenbanter instead please.

Baz

Baz wrote in :

Sandra Tingle wrote in
:


Hello everyone,
I am new here, and also rather new to gardening. I am moving next month
to a house that is south-facing and contains a tiny front garden. (At
the moment the only thing in it is weeds...)

I could post a pic of the front of the house though I noticed on the
forum rules it advises us not to post pictures right away.

I would like to do something right away to improve the appearance. I
plan to find some flowers to put in individual pots, but I'd also like
to plant a couple climbers of some sort to climb up the front of the
brick house. Looking for something not too fussy, and that will grow
quickly.

Secondly, in the back garden (which would be north-facing) there is a
lovely wooden arbour that is quite tall. Currently it is completely
without any plants at all and is crying out for something. I am also
looking for something very vigorous and fast growing that will also look
lovely as well.

I don't have a huge budget so any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Regards,
Sandra T





Can you ask in gardenbanter instead please.

Baz


Oh and by the way, I have KF'd you, and anyone who objects to gardenbanter
posts should do the same.
This is a newsgroup not an extension of the gardenbanter website.

It is touch and go as to whether Virginmedia need to be aware of your abuse
of this NG.

Baz

Sacha wrote in :

Oh and by the way, I have KF'd you, and anyone who objects to
gardenbanter posts should do the same.
This is a newsgroup not an extension of the gardenbanter website.

It is touch and go as to whether Virginmedia need to be aware of your
abuse of this NG.

Baz


Very unfair, imo. Her post was sent here by GB, not by her. It's to
be hoped Sandra hasn't been put off the idea of joining urg or of the
notion that gardeners are normally quite helpful people.


That is my point! Sent here by gardenbanter.

Anyway which end up, I'm out of here (much to the amusement of others)

Baz
Fin.

On 22/09/2011 15:03, Sandra Tingle wrote:
Hello everyone,
I am new here, and also rather new to gardening. I am moving next month
to a house that is south-facing and contains a tiny front garden. (At
the moment the only thing in it is weeds...)

I could post a pic of the front of the house though I noticed on the
forum rules it advises us not to post pictures right away.

I would like to do something right away to improve the appearance. I
plan to find some flowers to put in individual pots, but I'd also like
to plant a couple climbers of some sort to climb up the front of the
brick house. Looking for something not too fussy, and that will grow
quickly.

Secondly, in the back garden (which would be north-facing) there is a
lovely wooden arbour that is quite tall. Currently it is completely
without any plants at all and is crying out for something. I am also
looking for something very vigorous and fast growing that will also look
lovely as well.

I don't have a huge budget so any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Regards,
Sandra T




Hi Sandra,

Welcome to the newsgroup. As Sacha said, we really need to know where
you are so we have a guide as to climate. It would also help to know
what your soil is like .. clay (heavy and sticky or well-improved) ..
good loam .. sandy .. stoney, etc., and, if possible, whether it is
acidic, alkaline or neutral. This will help us to suggest plants
suitable for your site.

A useful job to do this side of winter is to give your arbour a good
coat of preservative. You will need to do this when the wood is dry and
when the weather is dry. Once you've trained plants all over it, it
will be much more difficult to maintain, so check all the joints are
solid, too.

For your front garden, you could lay lawn for the time being so that you
can keep on top of the weeds by mowing, at least until you've dealt with
the inside of the house. For pots, your best bet is to have a look at
winter bedding in your local garden centre. You could, say, plant
winter pansies or polyanthus and bulbs with a small tree or shrub.
Because the tree/shrub will become a permanent plant in your garden -
probably the back garden - select something which is suitable for shade
or partial shade, depending on the light levels in that part of the garden.

If you're in London (or any sprawling cityscape), be aware of garden
theft. In our area, neighbours and locals have suffered losses of both
pots and plants; statues have been known to 'walk', too. If you value
it, fix it down. It's sad, but true, that even in gardening two-legged
rats will spoil the joy of others for some cash in their pockets.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

Thanks for the tips. Do you really think grapes would look ok on the front of a house?? I'll have to see how shady the arbour is in the back of the house, grapes might be a good idea there if it gets enough sun.
For the front I'd love something that could climb AND not hurt the brickwork that I could plant this autumn yet, hopefully.

"Baz" wrote in message
...
Sacha wrote in :

Oh and by the way, I have KF'd you, and anyone who objects to
gardenbanter posts should do the same.
This is a newsgroup not an extension of the gardenbanter website.

It is touch and go as to whether Virginmedia need to be aware of your
abuse of this NG.

Baz


Very unfair, imo. Her post was sent here by GB, not by her. It's to
be hoped Sandra hasn't been put off the idea of joining urg or of the
notion that gardeners are normally quite helpful people.

So why didn't she subscribe directly to uk.rec.gardening, or doesn't she
know anything about newsgroups?

Alan

On Sep 22, 6:48*pm, "alan.holmes" wrote:
"Baz" wrote in message

...

Sacha wrote :

Oh and by the way, I have KF'd you, and anyone who objects to
gardenbanter posts should do the same.
This is a newsgroup not an extension of the gardenbanter website.

It is touch and go as to whether Virginmedia need to be aware of your
abuse of this NG.

Baz

Very unfair, imo. *Her post was sent here by GB, not by her. It's to
be hoped Sandra hasn't been put off the idea of joining urg or of the
notion that gardeners are normally quite helpful people.

So why didn't she subscribe directly to uk.rec.gardening, or doesn't she
know anything about newsgroups?

Alan

It could be she doesn't have a browser that lets her search news
groups for possible news groups.

On Thu, 22 Sep 2011 18:48:10 +0100, "alan.holmes"
wrote:



So why didn't she subscribe directly to uk.rec.gardening, or doesn't she
know anything about newsgroups?

Properly not!, having been secretary of the local computer club for
over twenty five years, we still answer the same questions that
cropped up, when we used Bulletin Boards and had Spectrums and QL's.
We all started somewhere and needed help , hopefully we then go onto
help others.
New site in the making,
Lincolnshire Gamemakers for 2012
http://2012volunteer.co.uk/

alan.holmes wrote:
So why didn't she subscribe directly to uk.rec.gardening, or doesn't she
know anything about newsgroups?

Probably never even heard of usenet, at a guess.

So apparently I posted my question in the wrong location? I thought I WAS on gardenbanter. That is the website address I type in to get to this forum. And what does it mean to be KF'd? I was just looking for gardening advice, not looking to be criticised. Of course I know about newsgroups, I wasn't looking for a newsgroup, simply a forum I can ask questions and get advice. I am in Surrey, by the way, which I had listed in my user profile.

In regards to the posters who have been so condescending - you should know newsgroups are very antiquated when it comes to the world of the internet. And once again, I am posting directly on the gardenbanter forum - I have no interest in joining a newsgroup. If someone feels they need to report me for inappropriate blogging, please feel free.

On Sep 22, 6:48*pm, Sandra Tingle Sandra.Tingle.
wrote:
echinosum;937309 Wrote:





Be very wary of stuff that grows quickly, it can become a problem later..
Better to be a bit patient.

The kind of climber that you have to secure on wires or a trellis is a
bit more effort, but less of a problem than kind that will stick to your
bricks and pull the pointing out.

Given you have a south-facing wall, why not grow a grape vine? *There
are a couple of amazing mildew-resistant cool-climate-ripening varieties
now available, called Phoenix (white) and Regent (Black). *I'm just
tucking into sweet, delicious home-grown out-door grapes, from my
Phoenix vine, even after this damp squib of a summer. *I only planted
the thing 18 months ago, and I've got about 12 bunches this year, and it
has covered the garage wall. *Of course, being deciduous, and requiring
pruning, it isn't much to look at in the winter. *I'm so delighted with
it I've just put a Regent in too, on another wall.

But having a sunny wall, there are probably an amazing variety of
climbers you can grow, but remember the great majority of hardy climbers
are deciduous. *Though a friend of mine got an abutilon to survive the
winter on a south-facing house wall through last winter in Glos. *Mine,
supposely a hardier one, but against a fence, was frozen to the ground
and has only recently resprouted a bit.

Thanks for the tips. *Do you really think grapes would look ok on the
front of a house?? I'll have to see how shady the arbour is in the back
of the house, grapes might be a good idea there if it gets enough sun. *

For the front I'd love something that could climb AND not hurt the
brickwork that I could plant this autumn yet, hopefully.

--
Sandra Tingle- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I'd still be inclined to go for a good climbing rose.

In article , Baz
writes
Oh and by the way, I have KF'd you, and anyone who objects to gardenbanter
posts should do the same.
This is a newsgroup not an extension of the gardenbanter website.

It is touch and go as to whether Virginmedia need to be aware of your abuse
of this NG.

Absolute rubbish. Also, cutting your nose off to spite your face.

If you report it as abuse, the isp would laugh in your face.

--
regards andyw