HELP

[Vox Humana]

There are many books on garden design at the bookstore. I would start there.

[m simpkins]

I know nothing about gardening, and i what to stop the wife moening im going to do a complete makeover of our garden and i dont know were to start, could you send any details or information or tips on the best way to do a makeover

Thanks

m simpkins

[Cereus-validus]

Go to the library and check out a few books on landscaping and read them thoroughly.

If you can't do that, hire a landscaper.

[Michelle]

[Vox Humana]

I don't think it the new garden will be successful (if success = wife stops whining) unless the wife willingly gets involved. Unless the OP can lay out some serious cash, the task is likely to evolve over years and involve a lot of trial and error. Things sometime look worse before they look better. What looks good to you may look bad to the wife. You may want a prairie and she may want Sissinghurst. This sound similar to people who want to have a child to improve their marriage.

[Pam - gardengal]

Do you LIKE to garden? If you don't and know nothing about it as well, you might be better off hiring a competent designer to plan and implement a new garden. It is an investment, but is cheaper in the long run than trial and error with expensive plants that are inappropriate for your specifc area and soil conditions.

There is a HUGE learning curve regarding an entire garden makeover if you are unfamiliar with gardening - are you willing to undergo that extensive a process? This is the reason landscapers and garden designers are in business - they already possess that skill set and are an ideal solution for someone in your position.

pam - gardengal

[Vox Humana]

I think you have to live with a property for a time before you get a real feeling for how it "works." I had a landscape designer draw-up a plan shortly after I moved into my present house. They installed the hardscape the first year. The second year I had them install part of the plantings. I have done the rest, making changes along the way. A lot of the shrubs installed by the landscape firm were too large or planted too close together. Other plants proved to be a poor choice for their location. This was done by a prestigious firm that had been in business for decades.

[Michelle]

I guess hence the old adage I if ya wan it done right do it yourself" ........:-)

[Janice]

Are you in the UK, I'm thinking btinternet is a British internet provider. My apologies if I am incorrect.

I just looked and there is a group called uk.rec.gardening which is a very active group, over 6300 posts since 4/1/04.

Not that I'm trying to get rid of you, but there is a good chance that you would find local answers for local growing conditions.

Also, terminology differences can lead to misunderstandings. When I hear "garden" because of my interests, I think of a patch dug up to plant vegetables, herbs, small fruits, and perhaps a few selected sorts of flowers.

Yard, would be the entire outside property Grass, and garden. So, since I have friends from the UK, I'm thinking you're meaning your lawn and shrubs..your entire outdoor property?

What you can do, depends considerably in the soil composition, the condition it's in now, what has been done with it in the past, how it has been used or abused. What is the layout of your property?

I used to watch Ground Force on BBC America, and the configuration of the "Gardens" differed wildly from place to place, from long narrow plots narrow enough that you could almost reach across them with outstretched arms, to square or rectangular plots similar to what I would see here in my area in the USA.

I would suggest you do some reading, check with your local council to know what you are allowed to do, and they may even have suggestions for help in planning, or may be able to offer you planning assistance.

Are there not gardening groups/clubs there? If so, perhaps it might serve you well to check with some of them to see if there are people in your area who can give you tips on what type of things to avoid, or special soil preparation or grading tips if you are in an area prone to poor drainage.

In the mean time, while checking out your options, generally clean up whatever area you do have, walk over the area, pick up limbs, trash, refuse, anything that could damage a mower or cause you to trip or somehow have thrown back at you from a mower blade or string trimmer. Mow, trim the area learn what plants are in the garden now, decide what is worth keeping, if you're new to the area, or just have not paid any attention, do so, walk the area, if you don't know what something is, take a sample to a garden shop or other location where you can get some assistance.

That's why I suggested you look in on the uk.rec.gardening newsgroup to make some contacts there, get some advice about the local resources.

Good luck!

Janice

[Michelle]