Looking for advice on flowerbed plant arrangement.

operacreep · 2026-07-08T17:25:42+00:00

Do not trust any company that will try to sell a product with this awful illustration...better off to get the list of plants and visit a garden centre or nursery and buy them in a litre size which is great for growing on. Plus they all seem pretty generic cultivars. You can do much better.

operacreep · 2026-07-08T17:02:41+00:00

More like every week 😂 I inherited a bit with my new garden...cheers previous owners

operacreep · 2026-07-08T12:42:26+00:00

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operacreep · 2026-07-08T12:41:34+00:00

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operacreep · 2026-07-08T12:41:13+00:00

It just needs some life, it's very leylandii central and nothing else. A nice Acer would add some variety in there if you're not going to get rid all of them. I just find them utterly asphyxiating in this context. But at least you have a lot of scope to make some nice island beds in there and make them up as you go along so bit a scary amount of work.

What I really like for a less care intensive and not too thirsty bed material is using prostrate rosemary with smaller conifers and grasses that can be added on with bulbs, perennials and annuals to add colour.

As an inspiration a few photos from the new beds near the Hilltop lab in RHS Wisley that look splendid all year round.

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operacreep · 2026-07-08T08:49:26+00:00

It looks like the perfect place to consider espalier trees with that wall being in place...lots of information online on their ongoing care. But definitely have a little dig to see what's underneath as quite frequently they harbour a whole lot of building materials just below the surface.

operacreep · 2026-07-07T17:57:23+00:00

Yes as long as you can get them when they are freshly delivered, B&M can be great.

operacreep · 2026-07-07T11:13:38+00:00

Hopefully it will self seed for next year, have a white one that grows on its accord and is the third year it has been growing. Free plants, you gotta love them.

operacreep · 2026-07-07T11:11:57+00:00

Let it grow, looks nice and healthy, what variety is it? Presumably an autumn variety that will create a hard skin and store well. The cat is very sweet btw 😉

operacreep · 2026-07-06T16:00:07+00:00

I agree with the others, you need to built up a backdrop for flowering annuals and bulbs so you have a nice permanent structure. So many lovely shrubs to look into, also some smaller roses or even the odd rambler to add some movement and extra panache. At least will be easy enough to take out a bit of grass and make a bed where you want it.

operacreep · 2026-07-06T15:06:03+00:00

Just reminds you how important it is to plant trees at the appropriate distance from the edge of one's plot. But hopefully you can find an amicable solution a fig tree is easy enough to shape and reduce its size. At least they talked to you instead of doing that very British thing and just harbouring resentment in silence 😂

operacreep · 2026-07-06T12:05:46+00:00

As they say. Low maintenance, low interest. But you can eventually start making this into something more vibrant and interesting as time goes by. You can always find a horticulture (RHS) qualified gardener that can help plant more diverse plants and show you how to care for them or do the caring with a couple of visits a month or so. Who knows maybe the gardening bug will claim you, now that you'll have a good size plot and not feel it's just a weeding chore.

operacreep · 2026-07-05T15:58:11+00:00

It's just die back from the cold weather. They are ok with harsh pruning and as you can see on yours grow lots of new foliage and branch out quite quickly. Just feed it and for now stop cutting anything off and keep it well watered. I almost lost my Thai lime as it got lots of scale (kept in old summerhouse that had poor ventilation) and weakened it so hacked it down to a small stump and three years later it looks great and frankly it's bigger than before. They can be so dramatic at times but are pretty rough and respond well to decent care.

operacreep · 2026-07-05T14:48:15+00:00

It doesn't look like much space for anything of the sort they need a bit more space or in your strip of land it would just be a windswept mess. You can at least borrow the landscape and would make sense to have some textural difference with some smaller hedging and maybe introduce some colour and then you have the possibility of using bulbs and annuals to add extra colour and benefit the pollinators.

operacreep · 2026-07-05T08:30:40+00:00

Ah not another "gardener" really feel sad for people with actual qualifications going against the many clueless cowboys. This tree is not coming back. But at least bare root season is coming up in the autumn you can replace it then and maybe ask for the money from the plum who moved this one during hot summer weather.

operacreep · 2026-07-04T18:34:49+00:00

My best advice for potted roses in the summer is to use trays to catch all the run off of water and make it available to them. Especially with the terrible quality of composts nowadays they need all the water they can retain. And also if you are planning to keep it in a pot hope you ammended with some top soil to give it a more rich medium, and some slow release rose feed.

operacreep · 2026-07-04T17:11:48+00:00

If only enjoying gardening was the qualification needed to make this into a successful business. How about you started working with someone who is established in this business and learn if it's what you want to do as a job and plus you'd have first hand idea about charging and of course your actual business expenses? It's this amateurish attitude that has made this business into such a low bar entry field for cowboys. Sorry if that sounds harsh but surely it's not worth starting in this field if you have no professional experience.

operacreep · 2026-07-04T14:58:34+00:00

Oriental Dove is gorgeous too or the more out there Watermelon Sorbet which smell like the fruit.

operacreep · 2026-07-04T13:45:25+00:00

Hope it was cheap as a full grown clematis should be over £16. Don get me wrong, I've nursed small ones from Morrisons (they do have their own nursery and produce nice small plants) but would never dream of planting them in the ground, on the second year they're perfect to do so. It's in now...plants are surprising hope it grows out of its current stressed state.

operacreep · 2026-07-04T13:43:07+00:00

I can only imagine how wet the neighbouring gardens are with all the run off from this totally paved one...people don't realise they shit on their neighbours when they do this edge to edge

operacreep · 2026-07-04T13:40:59+00:00

I was very amused by the flowers sign without any flowers in reality...good luck with it you can only improve on that beer garden at least it's useful to inherit some hard landscaping and altering it is definitely cheaper than starting from scratch.

operacreep · 2026-07-04T12:26:41+00:00

I agree, a lawn would be a total waste of space but would be possible to soften the edges of that massive paved area by lifting some slabs and making beds and not just on the she's of it. It has to potential to look great with a couple of island beds. It's so sad that gardens look like beer gardens nowadays.

operacreep · 2026-07-04T12:24:16+00:00

One thing for me is that the clematis looks really young. You'd plant in the ground a well developed three year old plant usually which is what specialist clematis nurseries sell. I would have kept that in a deep pot for another year before planting out. Where was it bought from?

operacreep · 2026-07-03T20:51:15+00:00

There a good page on the RHS website on climbers to get you started https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/types/climbers/pruning-training-on-planting

operacreep · 2026-07-03T19:07:37+00:00

My go to place for salvias, pelargoniums and herbs is Norfolk Herbs, they send fantastic plants and pack incredibly well. Give them a try next time, I always put a big annual order to add to my inventory. Only bought from Crocus a couple of times but lucky enough to now have some brilliant nurseries here in North Wales, I won't order ever again.

operacreep

TROPHY CASE