Complete Beginner - Advice Needed

[neiloh]

Hi All,

I have been lurking around this forum for a few days now, picking up
tips here and there. Amazed at the amount of knowledge floating
around!

I have just moved into my first house with my first garden. Until now I
have lived in flats and haven’t had to even mow a lawn since I used to
do it for pocket money as a spotty teenager. Now I have an average
sized garden that is pretty bare apart from a few paving slabs dropped
at the far end that I assume acted as a patio as it catches the most
sun. I am in no rush to go crazy with water features etc as I want with
baby steps and become adequate at the basics before anything too
ambitious.

The first thing I’d like to do is hide/disguise next doors half
plastic/half concrete fence. I have been looking at
climbers/shrubs/espaliers to do this and would be keen to hear any
suggestion/recommendations from those that know what they are doing.
The top half of the garden gets a lot of sun, while the bottom half
nearest the house is in the shade all day. The Mrs would like a
combination of pink/white blossom type flowers. Ideally, something that
doesn’t look too bare during the winter months as we are trying to hide
the fence as much as possible. Oh, and also on a bit of a budget. So,
any suggestions for a beginner to be able to handle would be much
appreciated?

Thanks in advance.




--
neiloh

[Jake]

Welcome. You've been lurking around GardenBanter so may have realised
that it's just a "front" for something called a Newsgroup, as opposed
to a forum, in this case UK.Rec.Gardening, which is us.

To start with, before anyone will happily recommend plants to you, we
like to know where in the country you are and what type of soil you
have (have a look at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/htbg/features/soil_test.shtml).

These matter as they affect what you can grow. We also ask about sun
but you've answered that already.

You mention covering a concrete/plastic fence. What do you mean by
"plastic"? If it's some sort of mesh thing then the weight of plants
could pull it down or grow through it into your neighbour's property.
If it belongs to your neighbour then that won't go down well. How tall
is it? In relation to the concrete bit (is it really concrete rather
than stone or brick?), will you be allowed to drill into the concrete
to attach some support for climbing plants?

Tell us a bit more so we know what you've got to play with and we'll
be able to help you better. Whilst you can't post pics to the
newsgroup, GardenBanter allows you to attach some to your posts there
(don't ask me how to do this - you'll need to read the GardenBanter
instructions) and a couple of photos can save a lot of words.



Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling happily from the dryer end of Swansea Bay.

[neiloh]

To answer your questions...

I live in Leeds, W Yorks and don't currently have a clue what kind of
soil I have. Will get a testing kit and find out.

We don't really want to get too much from our garden initially, just
have a half decent lawn area with a few nice looking plants/trees to
brighten it up a bit. I will be putting in a rotary dryer at some point
soon. We will eventually look to flatten the lawn (there is a slight
incline at the moment) and split it into two sections with a decked area
to replace the awful paving slabs we have inherited, but that will be a
couple of years at least. Got plenty of projects within the house to
tackle first!

The plastic fence is our neighbours and seems pretty strong, standing
approx 4/5ft high. B&Q call it a composite fence. The concrete fence
is exactly the same but made of concrete. To avoid potential problems
with the fence I was planning on erecting something to run very close
alongside it from which we could do what we want. I was thinking that
initially it would be wires or canes or even a trellis until the
plants/trees are established.

I think what I have in my vague mind’s eye is an espalier (?) running
the majority of the length of the fence. I assume this may be too
hopeful for the shaded area so would welcome any suggestions anyone may
have. Is it possible to train all kinds of trees as I have only really
seen fruit trees as espaliers so far. The Mrs really likes cherry
blossom/clematis/jasmine so I was considering planting a few along the
length of the fence with some smaller plants underneath. However, I
have thought that more long term these may get a bit too big and
unmanageable. Any thoughts?

I am hoping to surprise the Mrs when she goes away for a few days then
comes back to find we have a nice garden. Or at least can't see the
naff wonky fence.

Thanks again for your replies.




--
neiloh