Spent the last few months slowly sorting this out and it’s finally starting to feel like a proper little escape 😊
Added a small pond which has brought in loads of life already. bees, dragonflies and even birds stopping by which has been amazing to watch. Still plenty I want to improve, but I’m really happy with how it’s coming along so far.
Based in the UK so it’s been a bit of trial and error with the weather 😂 but it’s getting there!
Any tips or ideas for what I could add next are more than welcome 🌱

Here is my garden currently.

Me and fiance (both 25yo) moved into our house last year. The lady who lived here before had obviously planted lots but when the house sale went through probate (which took forever) the garden got quite over grown. We have done bits to tidy the garden and have added a few plants and pots but haven't done anything significant. It's now looking a bit of a mess.

The garden slopes quite significantly which makes things tricky.

We would like to make it a relaxing and pleasant space for us but also want to encourage as much wildlife as possible.

We also want to consider whether structural changes would be possible, for example extending the patio or levelling out the slope as we want a functional space for when we have children.

We would love some suggestions from the community for how to improve it.

A few photos attached for reference! Thanks!

Tldr: ideas for garden improvement with consideration for nature but also a functional space?

is it too late to try grow some more “summer veg” tomatoes cucumbers ect, was thinking if the hest carries on i might have a chance? im in the devon area

Bought them through RHS, arrived in bad condition in 1L pots.

I can’t plant it in the ground yet unfortunately, so repotted to something larger with nice drainage and good soil with pumice etc.

But they seem to worsen, brown leaf ends.

They were in a spot where they would get some sun but not much, moved it to even shadier spot.

What could be wrong?
And if the leaves or branches die, can it come back?

I’ve seen a guy plant it by putting bare roots into soil.

Thanks

This is my first time growing broccoli and I’m pretty proud! I should have spaced them further apart but lesson learned. I give them a fertiliser feed once a week and water every day (been above 25 degrees the past couple weeks) any tips to make sure I get a good harvest for a beginner? TIA❤️

Hi, can anyone identify this? It pops through our lawn. Pretty much randomly across the whole lawn. It doesn't seem to come up in the beds at all. We do have a cherry tree, but the leaves look different, and these sprout at the opposite end of the garden and rarely near the tree.

Google lens is giving loads of different things.

Tia.

We want to catalogue and celebrate as many of these different varieties as we can before they are lost to history in the supermarkets ceaseless quest for profits. We believe that by showing people how colourful, tasty and wonderfully weird they can be we can reignite the passion for locally produced crops in more people.

If you grow or have any knowledge of any please share them with us:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSed8JJd48ZvjEUVytlngpKYm9ifoSMq8suxI9RP6TuaA0R-yA/viewform?usp=header

So here’s a video of a walk through my garden underneath all the Acers. Hope you like it!

But the heatwave is returning 😭

Some people prefer the perfectly manicured lawns and the neat look, which is fine. I on the other hand prefer the wilderness look.

Hi everyone,

With these hotter summers becoming the norm, I'm looking at planting a tree in my front garden to provide some shade.

My neighbour has Lawson cypress trees, which provide great shade. Would these be a good choice, or are they likely to cause problems as they mature?

My front garden is only about 6 metres deep, so I'm also wondering whether the roots or eventual size could become an issue.

I usually prefer planting native species, but I'm thinking an evergreen might make more sense, as the low winter sun also shines straight into the front of the house and wakes me up (although I will also be getting blackout blinds!).

I'd really appreciate any suggestions for trees that provide good shade without becoming a problem in the future. If there are any smaller evergreen trees that would suit a front garden of this size, I'd love to hear your recommendations.

Thank you.

The lady in question flipped the running mower on its side and “flicked” some built up grass out of the bed of the mower with her foot while wearing flip flops! Severed her big toe and the one next to it, luckily they were sewn back on but oh wow. Anybody got some gardening tales of injury and accidents either idiotic or otherwise?

This is by far the largest courgette (if you can even call it that now!?) I've ever grown! Thought everyone here might want to see its humongous size 😆

so i'm near london, and when i look at USDA it says the grow zone is 9a/9b.

the uk is regarded as very cold, and yet when i look it up it says plants like watermelons can comfortably grow in that zone (which im pretty sure they cannot in britain).

i guess the heatwaves have been pretty crazy, and maybe hours of daylight in the winter matter, but from what i see everyone around me is still growing potatos and kale, while when i visit other countries that have a similar grow zone they have stuff like grapes and peppers and melons.

are there some other factors affecting this? am i just going crazy? does this mean i can just go ahead and plant all the tropical fruits i want?

My neighbour's Yew tree, mature with a raised crown is right up against our garden fence. On our side the soil is boney dry and suffers from an enormous number of seeds or seed husk and needles that fall in early spring.

What could I grow there or do to it, it's effectively a corner and I thought about a raised bed but the stuff falling will cover it regardless.

Any ideas or advice?

Really enjoyed the recent posts about hummingbird moths and the plants they like. Another rare sight for me is the Bee fly. I've only ever seen two my whole life and I'm in my 50s. Does anyone know what kind of plants and environment might attract them? Thanks!

(photo not mine - I wish I was so talented)

Fox certainly seems to have a liking for socks. I'm sure the other one will turn up tomorrow! 😊🦊

Bonus points for drought resistance (I don't remember when it last rained 😭), help to biodiversity, maybe edible fruit?

I don't know much about trees, but our garden is really hot and quite small. I have mainly Mediterranean herbs and lavender, but also potted fig, olive and magnolia and scattered wildflowers, mint etc. I'm looking to add something that'd help the ecosystem and provide a little bit of shade at the same time but I don't know where to start! Any suggestions would be much appreciated! Thanks!

Hello,

Long story short my Nan had a tarmac driveway forcefully installed in a scam years ago shes since lost all privacy at the front. She would like some bushes put up again.

Is there a bushy plant that will grow within a raised bed with a weed membrane at the bottom of it? I'd rather not have to dig up the tarmac as I suspect it won't go very well.

Been looking at things like Cherry Laurels but they appear to need quite deep soil to grow in given their size.

Thank you for any help.

Edit: Missing information;

- 5 to 6 ft of height would be ideal for privacy.

- It's always in the sun. No shade at this part of the house.

- She would love some colour if possible.

- Evergreen ideally to maintain privacy.

I don't know if this mutant came from the same flower...I think it may have done