How's the Craic?

Claire Winters · Rank attained: Hazel Tree Joined: 30 Dec 2015 Posts: 43

Thank you all for welcome. You seem to know one another very well here. Very Happy

I don't know what gardening any of you are doing but I have not even started. The ground is so wet. We moved to this house three years ago and the garden has nothing but grass in it. No path, no patio, no flowers, shrubs or trees. Grass. I would like to grow vegetables but I do like flowers and shrubs too. I have been drawing plans in my head but nothing on paper yet. Confused

Sue Deacon · Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2016 3:45 pm Post subject:

If you have been there 3 years you should have an idea of things like - the best view, frost pockets (where the frost/cold lingers in the winter), the sunniest areas and the wettest and driest areas. That is a very good start!

A wish list with any inspirational photo's or articles is a good thing too. I have found 4' and 6' garden canes and a length of hose to be really handy to mark out borders, boundaries, paths and the height of shrubs and trees.

In the photo you can see some of the canes I used for our latest project. They mark the stream and pond. I kept walking past and tweaking the arrangement until I was happy with it.

Good luck with your garden. Keep taking (and posting!) loads of photo's.

Good guy · Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2016 11:30 pm Post subject:

Claire, often, the hardest part is knowing where to begin. One way of dealing with that feeling of being overwhelmed is to break up a task into manageable goals and then to prioritise them in terms of what you would like to have, first.

It might be:
- somewhere to sit of a nice evening (is there a sunny spot late in the day?)
- is there a view or a landscape feature (group of trees, church steeple, mountain etc) that you can take advantage of?
- maybe you need to site a shed/washing line/veg plot/compost heap, so you will need a path/s so you can use them dry-shod.

You can develop a list of needs and wants, prioritise them and think about where they might best go. Sue's suggestions for marking things out are spot on. "Drawing for real" on the ground enables you to take your time, see things from multiple viewpoints. What do you want to see from your sitting room window, or from the kitchen sink? How can you arrange good views from these? If you have an upstairs, what will,the garden look like from there? Walk around the garden as your ideas develop. Walk around a lot. And do collect lots of ideas from books, magazines, the web and by visiting and photographing gardens that are open to the public.

When you have an overall idea of how you want things to be, make out a sketch plan, to scale - lots of garden design books have tips on how to do this. (Your local library is bound to have some.) Don't worry about your drawing looking "amateurish" if you are a novice at this; it's just a record of your ideas, for yourself.

The great thing about having a plan is that it helps you to organise and, if you need to, you can change it. Without a plan it's easy flounder around, wasting time and money on uncoordinated bits and pieces and being unhappy with the results at the end of the day.

You might find it useful to have a look at a thread I started: "Put your thinking caps on for a Donegal garden" as it shows my recent attempt to resolve some unsatisfactory elements in my own garden. The design process I followed is similar to what I outlined above.

As far as your first projects are concerned, my advice is to start small, with readily achievable goals: maybe a bed to give some colour and interest near the front door or in sight of the sink. That way you will quickly get something really nice and every time you see it, it will boost your confidence. If in a year or two you have moved on, in terms of your ambitions, you can easily re-do it or incorporate it into something bigger.

Baby steps! Happy gardening!

tagwex · Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2016 12:07 am Post subject:

Jaaaaaysus GG you should have been a teacher!!!
May I ask why is there such emphasis on the view from kitchen sink?

Good guy · Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2016 12:32 am Post subject:

Because many people spend a lot of time within view of the kitchen window which is very often above the sink. They might as well have something inspiring to look at!

Ado 2 · Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2016 8:00 am Post subject:

Don't tie your husband to the kitchen sink there's other jobs that need doing too ! !

Sue Deacon · Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2016 9:53 am Post subject:

Sue Deacon · Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2016 9:55 am Post subject:

Good guy · Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2016 10:27 am Post subject:

Now, now! No slagging off men, please (unless they specifically deserve it.)
We do our best, you know, but we are painfully aware that however we may try we will never be able to meet the exacting standards that come so naturally to you ladies.

Good guy · Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2016 10:30 am Post subject:

Re bird feeders, I have one stuck to the window, got it from Birdwatch Ireland. It's great fun having them up so close. There are other feeders in view, too.

Ado 2 · Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2016 10:42 am Post subject:

Sorry folks yes it's sexist ( it's usually the wife that's mentioned) apologies for causing offence. I even felt so guilty I went and washed the dishes myself this morning

Ado 2 · Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2016 10:57 am Post subject:

I also have a bird feeder outside my kitchen window. I also have herbs like parsley sage bay and thyme handy in pots near the back foot and I usually always have a large pot with rocket and lettuce. It helps when it's raining !

tagwex · Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2016 11:50 am Post subject:

Good guy · Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2016 7:56 pm Post subject:

I'm in bother? I don't think so. At least I hope not.
I was just stirring it! And it's not often a man gets the opportunity to be self-riteous around this stuff. I just couldn't resist!😇

tagwex · Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2016 8:46 pm Post subject:

Why don't you just mention the ankle chain with just enough slack on it to get from the sink to to the table to the fridge and be done with it. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned..... trust me I know!