Garden Surprise, what plants - Advice needed

Locky

Hi,

My parents have a kind of fir tree in their garden (started small 20 years ago was now 4/5 metres high, and blocking the view from the house).

With help, I chopped it down today.

What remains is a flower bed that has some kind of bushes and the remains of the tree which is flush to the ground.

I have done this while they are away as a surprise and would like to get it looking good before they come back.

What can I put there? I am thinking I will need to put some kind of lining and cover it with soil for anything to grow well in the area.

Obviously its the winter and its not going to be perfect, but I'd like to make it look presentable for their return.

Maybe just cutting back the bushes/plants that are there and just make it look tidy for the tim being??

Any advice appreciated!

pbff

Hi Locky,

Do you know what the plants are, before you cut them back?

Different plants have different pruning requirements.

If you want to jazz the area up a bit, why not get some winter container plants (there are some pre-planted containers available now in garden centres and even some supermarkets) like heathers, pansies, etc and arrange the containers there, giving you and your parents time to discuss how you'd like to develop the area.

You could even string some outdoor LED lights around the pots for a bit of festive cheer...

Obelixx

The conifer will have sucked all the nutrients out of the soil so I would suggest you limit yourself to clearing any obvious weeds and pruning out any obviously broken stems on the remaining shrubs.   Then you can pile on a few inches thick layer of compost - multi-purpose is cheap and will help add nutrients and texture to the soil.  Plant up with winter pansies/primulas/heathers and leave the shrubs and other plants to enjoy the extra light and nutrients.

Leave any other pruning to the appropriate season depending on what they are.