It is still possible to create your dream garden..you just need time. I wanted to share realistic pictures of what is achievable when starting from nothing with very little money. When I moved into this house there was only a Cordyline and a sad looking honeysuckle climber on the fence. The garden was boggy, uneven and full of weeds but I was determined I was going to have more than just grass in this garden. To start with I brought a cheap grass trimmer and lawn mower, nothing fancy just something to get the job done.
During my first year it was all about research and small experiments. Using Reddit, RHS and YouTUbe to search for any plant or flower I was interested in. This helped me decided on what will be right for my garden long term. I experimented by buying cheap dying plants at the garden centre and potting them on.
By Year 2 I knew I wanted a tropical style garden and started with a Fatsia Japonica as it’s an evergreen fast growing shrub. I knew I wanted some structural trees in the garden but I didn’t have the budget so I focused on shrubs, perennials and annuals. To take care of grass I aerated and scarified the lawn and feed with seaweed.
By Year 3 I noticed my grass was not as boggy due to plants now being planted in the boarder and the aeration etc. I was mowing regularly, becoming more sensitive to insects and really started thinking more about the environment. This was also the year I planted my first trees. I started with a bear root apple tree and then a Tracycarpus Fortunei which are both doing really well.
Now Year 4, I’m working on planting up the back boarder where the apple tree is. To prepare the area I used cardboard covered by wood chips and gated off the area for a year to give the cardboard time to drown out all the grass and weeds. I have just planted some canna Casanova and a few annuals for now and the soil feels so good to plant in. I’m still adding compost when planting but I was impressed as the space was like a dead area in the garden in the previous years. Ideally I want another tree for the back corner as well as a few Musa Basjoo.
Finally my hopes for this year are to start on the opposite side of the garden as I want to lift the current path so I can use that space for planting as it’s gets sun all day. I want to extend my patio by adding a few more rows of slabs and finish painting the fence but we will see how it goes this year lol.
The overall message is really for those newbies who may feel overwhelmed or worrying about not having much money to do a complete garden landscape. Just do what you can a little section at a time and it will all start coming together.
by Playful-Beautiful-12
2 Comments
Beautiful results! Bravo for thinking things through, I admire your patience. It’s easy to have quick results with a big budget, and sometimes it can be disheartening for those of us who don’t have that. What an inspiring post, thanks for sharing!
Great job, well done you!