plants to use on small spot front of house.
Hi!
Completely new to anything to do with gardening.
Im in a new build and not even got grass down in the back garden yet.
But right now I’m wanting to change the grass in the small patch at the front of the house.
I will attach a picture of this. I’m thinking of removing the grass and potentially the plants to the side and adding in some mixed shrubs. I’d like a nice mix maybe some different colours and textures. I have no clue which plants can be planted together, how far apart to plant and which will last all year?
Am I better having a gardener do this for me?
Any my advice is very much appreciated.
Completely new to anything to do with gardening.
Im in a new build and not even got grass down in the back garden yet.
But right now I’m wanting to change the grass in the small patch at the front of the house.
I will attach a picture of this. I’m thinking of removing the grass and potentially the plants to the side and adding in some mixed shrubs. I’d like a nice mix maybe some different colours and textures. I have no clue which plants can be planted together, how far apart to plant and which will last all year?
Am I better having a gardener do this for me?
Any my advice is very much appreciated.


0
Posts
No problem with giving it a go yourself, it may give you the gardening bug! First thing, do you know which way the garden faces, North, South etc. Is it sunny, does it get sun for only part of the day ?
It may well be that when you lift the grass you find there is only a thin layer of soil, so you may have to top it up with topsoil when you dig it out.
It’s a south facing garden and it gets sun most of the day. But I live in Glasgow so there isn’t that much sunshine!
I currently have two potted palm style plants in those black pots either side of the bay window as the others died but these have lasted really well all winter. I like the style of them too. Im thinking anything bushy so that they have some sort of height to them.
Colour wise I like dark purples browns greens but anything really.
Many shrubs can be successfully pruned, but it also depends how much time you have to spend, and often they can look odd if pruned into 'puddings'. Euphorbias will be fine, and need minimal care [just watch out for the sap if/when you prune or remove spent heads] and so will Hebes - loads of varieties to choose from. Some of the evergreen grasses would also be fine - Carexes like Evergold will give a contrast. All of those will be perfectly hardy and will thrive where you are.
You can infill with perennials and bulbs to give variation in shape and height, and also things like thyme or or dianthus for edges. It's a very small area, so don't overfill or you'll end up taking things back out in a few years.
Small spaces work best if you pick just a few types of plant, and use three or five of them together. That gives unity.
Thanks again!
Retirement is going well thanks- early days though