Newbie Help! What plants??

[eve83]

Hello,

Im an absolute newbie to gardening - i really dont have much of a clue. Plus with a toddler and a baby i dont have much time either to research things.

I would like to re-vamp the garden, particularly the side strip of grass we have which is pointless at the moment.

Can anyone suggest what sort of plants i should buy - i would like a mix of flowers & shrubs which are colourful & low maintenance, and will not grow higher than the fence.

As i stand out the back of my house im looking in a north-west direction (i have no idea what aspect this makes the border)

Any advice would be hugely appreciated - i went to a couple of garden centres in the spring and quite frankly they made me feel stupid for not knowing much about gardening :-(

+-------------------------------------------------------------------+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------+

[Brooklyn1]

[David E. Ross]

Where I live (California, USA), there are nurseries (your "garden centers") that provide a garden-design service. You pay a fee for the design; but if you buy a certain amount of plants, tools, and supplies from them, you get a credit for the fee against future purchases. Generally, such nurseries also provide guidance and instruction to novice gardeners. Scout out other nurseries in your area to find out if any of them offer such a service.

As for those places that "made me feel stupid for not knowing much about gardening", you should talk to the managers about that. If they want your money, they should treat you politely and help you learn.

[David Hare-Scott]

There is no general answer to your question as the suitability of plants depend on your soil and climate which we don't know and (not trying to be rude here) possibly you don't either. From what you have said so far any specific recommendations will be a wild guess that have small chance of being useful. If you don't have time to learn and to do it yourself, do you have the money to pay somebody who does? If you have neither time nor money then lacking a knowledgeable friend/neighbour/ relative who will do it for free you are out of luck. TANSTAAFL

You could:

- hire a local gardener or professional

- go to the local garden club where people know the district

- get books from the library, preferably that deal with growing in your region