Hello to all

I've been lurking for a month or so trying to get inspiration for the garden
and to try and avoid making too many horrible mistakes. So far I've learned
how not to cut the grass, not to be too paranoid about my compost heap and
that I'm not the only one waging a war with brambles.

Thought I'd better say hello before I start bombarding you with stupid
questions.

Our garden is relatively small and just outside Glasgow - which means it
gets plenty of rain! Our back garden is mainly slabbed with narrow raised
beds running round it (empty), and a couple of small beds near the house.
It's north facing and gets very little light in winter when the sun is low
in the sky, but is quite pleasant at this time of year.

The front is grass, gravel and a nice empty bed that I haven't decided what
to do with yet! As it faces south it's a sun trap (well as much as west
coast Scotland can be). And I can't decide what I hate most: the dandelions
or the slugs.

It's a blank canvas at the moment, and I'm racking my brains with what to do
it. Previously I've relied on annuals in tubs, and although I'll continue
doing that I'll be looking for hints and tips for what to do with the rest
of the thing.

My first priority is to think about climbers for our back fence. I'm
looking for something that will provide screening, particularly in the
summer but I'm at a loss where to start. My initial thought was
clematis(es?), but I'm worried about pruning them and the different types -
as screening is important do I really want something that gets cut back so
much? Then I thought about a mix of honeysuckles...! The climbers would be
covering an area of about 18ft. Colour and scent are as important as the
screening.

I'm also not sure about how best to support whatever I plant. The spans
between the posts are about 5ft - would plastic mesh sag? I thought wire
mesh (either galvanised or plastic coated) would be a better support, but it
looks quite ugly when the plants don't cover it.

Told you there would be lots of stupid questions!

On 3/4/05 22:11, in article , "WRabbit"
wrote:

Hello to all

I've been lurking for a month or so trying to get inspiration for the garden
and to try and avoid making too many horrible mistakes. So far I've learned
how not to cut the grass, not to be too paranoid about my compost heap and
that I'm not the only one waging a war with brambles.

Thought I'd better say hello before I start bombarding you with stupid
questions.

Welcome to urg and remember the motto: "there ARE no stupid questions"! We
have quite a few posters from 'up north', so you'll probably get quite a bit
of help one way and another.

Our garden is relatively small and just outside Glasgow - which means it
gets plenty of rain! Our back garden is mainly slabbed with narrow raised
beds running round it (empty), and a couple of small beds near the house.
It's north facing and gets very little light in winter when the sun is low
in the sky, but is quite pleasant at this time of year.

snip
I'm also not sure about how best to support whatever I plant. The spans
between the posts are about 5ft - would plastic mesh sag? I thought wire
mesh (either galvanised or plastic coated) would be a better support, but it
looks quite ugly when the plants don't cover it.

You could try chain or rope 'swagged' between the posts and let the climbers
ramble over those. Or could you attach wooden trellis to the fencing posts?
snip
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

"Sacha" wrote in message
k...
On 3/4/05 22:11, in article , "WRabbit"
wrote:

Hello to all

I've been lurking for a month or so trying to get inspiration for the
garden
and to try and avoid making too many horrible mistakes. So far I've
learned
how not to cut the grass, not to be too paranoid about my compost heap
and
that I'm not the only one waging a war with brambles.

Thought I'd better say hello before I start bombarding you with stupid
questions.

Welcome to urg and remember the motto: "there ARE no stupid questions"!
or
" the only stupid question is the one which doesn't get asked, leading to a
mistake which could have been avoided" :0)

We
have quite a few posters from 'up north', so you'll probably get quite a
bit
of help one way and another.

Our garden is relatively small and just outside Glasgow - which means it
gets plenty of rain! Our back garden is mainly slabbed with narrow
raised
beds running round it (empty), and a couple of small beds near the
house.
It's north facing and gets very little light in winter when the sun is
low
in the sky, but is quite pleasant at this time of year.

snip
I'm also not sure about how best to support whatever I plant. The spans
between the posts are about 5ft - would plastic mesh sag? I thought
wire
mesh (either galvanised or plastic coated) would be a better support,
but it
looks quite ugly when the plants don't cover it.

You could try chain or rope 'swagged' between the posts and let the
climbers
ramble over those. Or could you attach wooden trellis to the fencing
posts?
snip
IIRC ALDI has some cheapish trellis on sale. I like clematis montana. I know
some people think it is a thug but in Wisbech on rather a posh street,
someone has the front hedge made entirely from this. They take a hedge
trimmer to it to keep it roughly in shape. The hedge is about 30 feet long
and 4 feet high. I expect there is a wire fence underneath somewhere but it
looks stunning when all the pink flowers are out.
I admired it for years until I moved here and planted one of my own to try
to hide the neighbours dark gloomy leylandii.
Failing that, how about a rambling or climbing rose? One of my favourites
is 'masquerade' which has loads of blooms which start out deep red and then
seem to change colour from pinkish to yellowish. Not a very good description
I'm afraid but when they are all out they are all different colours and that
seems to me to be a lot of bush for your money :0)
It is a floribunda rose which means you get loads and loads of flowers too
and mine seems to bloom from spring right through to late autumn.
http://www.rogersroses.com/gallery/d...d=397&suppid=8

In article , w.g.s.hamm
writes
Failing that, how about a rambling or climbing rose? One of my favourites
is 'masquerade' which has loads of blooms which start out deep red and then
seem to change colour from pinkish to yellowish.

Other way round! Yellow in bud, then pink, and red as they are going
over.

One of the two roses I had in my 'garden' when I was a kid.
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

Kay wrote:
In article , w.g.s.hamm
writes
Failing that, how about a rambling or climbing rose? One of my
favourites is 'masquerade' which has loads of blooms which start out
deep red and then seem to change colour from pinkish to yellowish.

Other way round! Yellow in bud, then pink, and red as they are going
over.

One of the two roses I had in my 'garden' when I was a kid.

Thanks for the thoughts - I'd considered roses, but had decided my
greenthumbs would probably not cope with them (I certainly am more thumbs
than fingers at the moment). I need to look at them more closely. My main
experience with roses was the more formal type rather than the lovely
rambler that Masquerade looks. It would possibly work quite well at a
particular spot in the fence - where the brambles poke through.

As for supports I'd not thought about using chain swags. I don't think
wooden trellising would work with the way the fence is (and it would make
the fence more susceptible to the winter winds).

Now if only the garden looked as good in reality as it does in my head!