How to start a new garden after house building.
|
Author |
Message |
eve1 Rank attained: Hazel Tree


Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 8 Location: Galway
|
Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2006 8:52 pm Post subject: How to start a new garden after house building. |
|
|
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? |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
James Kilkelly Rank: Site Admin

Joined: 30 May 2006 Posts: 2163 Location: West of Ireland
|
Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2006 9:24 pm Post subject: How to start a new garden after house building. |
|
|
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. _________________ Gardening books.
http://www.allotments.ie/ Ireland's allotments.
On Twitter... http://twitter.com/Allotments
Garden Consultation & Design.
Try my Garden Design home study course!
.
.
Last edited by James Kilkelly on Tue Jul 11, 2006 7:16 pm; edited 2 times in total |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
eve1 Rank attained: Hazel Tree


Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 8 Location: Galway
|
Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2006 9:33 pm Post subject: How to start a new garden after house building. |
|
|
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? |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
Red Rank attained: Hazel Tree

Joined: 01 Jul 2006 Posts: 14
|
Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 12:14 pm Post subject: How to start a new garden after house building. |
|
|
How shallow is the soil eve1? usually trees need a good deep soil. |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
eve1 Rank attained: Hazel Tree


Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 8 Location: Galway
|
Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 1:47 pm Post subject: How to start a new garden after house building. |
|
|
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. |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
James Kilkelly Rank: Site Admin

Joined: 30 May 2006 Posts: 2163 Location: West of Ireland
|
Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 7:15 pm Post subject: How to start a new garden after house building. |
|
|
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. |
---|
|
|
|
_________________ Gardening books.
http://www.allotments.ie/ Ireland's allotments.
On Twitter... http://twitter.com/Allotments
Garden Consultation & Design.
Try my Garden Design home study course!
.
.
Last edited by James Kilkelly on Tue Mar 02, 2010 1:51 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
eve1 Rank attained: Hazel Tree


Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 8 Location: Galway
|
Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 8:37 pm Post subject: |
|
|
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 |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
Bugs Rank attained: Ash Tree


Joined: 03 Jul 2006 Posts: 210 Location: Dublin
|
Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2006 5:16 pm Post subject: |
|
|
eve1 wrote: | 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 |
On larger areas you are probably better off planting bare root as they are cheaper . However they can only be planted in winter, early spring . GPI 's advice was good . Get your shelter done first , use native species ( the birds love them ) and my top tip , plant lots of Holly . In my opinion there will be a real shortage in years to come and you will have a nice little pension there .
Bugs _________________ Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened.
Carpe Diem |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
birdie Rank attained: Rowan Tree


Joined: 16 Jun 2006 Posts: 146 Location: west of ireland
|
Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2006 11:20 pm Post subject: |
|
|
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. |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
Lilith Rank attained: Hawthorn Tree

Joined: 20 Jul 2006 Posts: 51 Location: Southern US
|
Posted: Thu Jul 20, 2006 6:37 pm Post subject: |
|
|
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. |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum You can attach files in this forum You can download files in this forum
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group
Privacy Policy | Copyright © 2006 - 2018 IrishGardeners.com (part of GardenPlansIreland.com)
|