[eve1]

We are nearly finished building our house and I would like to start thinking about the basics for the garden next. We have a large site of 1.4 acres, which is quite rocky so we will have to get quite alot of soil brought in.
We have a large drop behind our house so we are looking for ideas of what to do. We were thinking that the cheapest option might be to put decking behind the house with steps down (although we would both prefer a patio) and trying to get a small area of the garden liveable in immediately so to speak. We really need to plant loads of trees and hedgerow as the site is bare.

Any suggestions?

[James Kilkelly]

The first thing I would always suggest planting in a new garden is the boundry.
An established boundry planting will allow subsequent plantings to thrive in a protected and sheltered environment .
There are many beautiful plants that you cannot grow without sufficent shelter.
So we're talking hedgerows, trees, shelter belts, massed whip plantings.
Any or all of these.
Eve, have you any idea of what types of trees or hedging plants you like.

[eve1]

We were thinking of planting a mix that would be quite native but we would like trees that are fast growing as well. I know that there appears to be alot of whitethorn, hazel, ash, around and we were considering planting fuschia, and holly along with a mixture of trees. What type of trees would give us coverage and would be fast growing in pretty shallow soil?

[Red]

How shallow is the soil eve1? usually trees need a good deep soil.

[eve1]

it varies throughout the site because we are in an area that has alot of underlying limestone rock. We think that we might have to import some soil but then again soil is expensive.

[James Kilkelly]

Your trees will require the greatest depth of soil.
Trees planted in shallow soil tend to "throw" in strong winds.
Anything ideally between 0.6 and 1.2 metre is great for trees
If you decide on where these trees are to be placed, then you can install large pockets of soil specificly for them.
Your shrubs will need ideally 0.6 mtr depth and you grassed areas ideally 15cm.
of course these are all best case senarios.

A native mix would be good, it will put back nature which may have been removed during house construction.
In the coming weeks I hope to post info about native trees in the tree section, watch that space.

Your soil is shallow we know, but is it brown, black, sticky, sandy, wet etc.
Have you carried out a soil PH and fertility test?

Need materials? Irish home delivery.	Need materials? UK home delivery.	Need materials? US home delivery.

[eve1]

Now I know why all the trees have strange shapes around the Burren and around us.
A fertility test? never knew one existed for soil. I must look into that. Am I being naive in thinking that because of the limestone rock we have alkaline soil? I must get a testing kit the next time I have a chance.
Also when is the latest time of year we should consider planting trees and hedgerow?
Thanks for the great advice.

eve

[Bugs]

[birdie]

Use native species ( the birds love them )

Your a man after my own heart Bugs. A lot of the tough native plants will survive in your area Eve and also provide food and shelter for the birds. Think about using hawthorn, elderberry and mountain ash as well.

[Lilith]

These are all wonderful suggestions as I've just moved into a new little house on the foot of a mountain, so you can imagine how shallow and rocky the ground is here.

A neighbor came over with his backhoe and dug some nice big holes for trees, so all I have to do is fill them in with proper dirt.

For starting my flower beds, it has been easier to go up, then try to dig down, so I'm slowly but surely building raised beds using a border of flakes of straw filled in with lots of compost from my sheep. The beds I did like that last year got planted this year, and everything is thriving.

I'm a small single woman living alone, so I have to think up things I can do by myself, and without the services of someone with carpentry skills to build planting boxes.