I've been reading through as many of this community's really helpful posts as I can and trying to learn – thanks so much for all the tips and links and videos, I've been learning a lot!
I live in a cottage flat and this front garden is mine – I know that I don't want a lawn (hate monocultures with a passion), and I have some very vague ideas about what I do want (something like a rambling cottage garden, maybe some pots with useful herbs for cooking), and a fairly limited budget (just bought the flat, so trying to rebuild savings; but I've currently got £500 stashed away and earmarked for "gardening").
This cardboard and mulch process I've been reading about here sounds almost too magical to really work, but is that something I should try maybe? My initial thought was just to hire someone to clear all the lawn at once, but now I'm not so sure. Maybe a gradual approach (considering my budget) and just putting in beds around the edges of the lawn and gradually planting more and more each year?
The shrub in the centre is, I think, a Spiraea – I'm not particularly attached to it but I don't think it deserves to die just because I moved into the flat and have gardeny ambitions, so I'd rather keep it than not.
The picture I took in the morning, so you can see the evergreens at the edge of the property cast a fair bit of shade, so I guess one of the priorities will be finding more shade-tolerant native plants?
Sorry for the completely naive and basic questions but I really have little-no gardening experience and am just so, so grateful for any advice here!
by mostlymicrobial
3 Comments
Image is of the front garden, showing it in the morning sunlight, to show the amount of shade it’s getting. Central shrub (Spiraea?) and lawn
I’d say £500 is quite a small budget, but not to be disheartened
It looks like a reasonable size garden, so it likely makes sense to take smaller steps
Maybe select a section to try cardboard and mulch (haven’t tried it so can’t advise)
Possibly dig out a second section (not necessarily at the edge, it could be more central) to turn into a bed for your cottage style planting. This could give you visual pleasure/satisfaction fairly quickly, especially if you get some taller grasses or plants (look out for plant fairs – often a lot better option than garden centres). It would also give you potential to enlarge it over time (we haven’t yet got rid of all our grass, but we’ve enlarged our beds over time – we’re Manchester, UK)
Basic level is to mow the grass around any clover patches and let cover spread.