Does anyone know anything about gardening?

I'd like to plant some trees in the garden.
Got space for 2 or 3 apple tree size trees.
Ideally low maintenance, fruit or but bearing and good for wildlife.

Should I just buy some apple trees as big as I can afford or is there something better? And where to buy - online, or a decent garden centre?

What size is the space?

Three separate plots of 1m square

I'd stick to fairly small stuff

Hawthorn maybe? "Paul's Scarlet" is nice
Dogwood
Amalanchier
Smaller prunus species
Portugal Laurel for some year round green
Berberis
Hazel

Just make sure your fruit trees are grafted onto small rootstock. That determines their overall size.

Thought I'd rake the moss out of the lawn and re-seed it:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/cVqtgYLtFcS8uyvUA

https://photos.app.goo.gl/uC6Fb4pMCsWnqEKz7

https://photos.app.goo.gl/brF2TboKZRnUjehv8

Is it just me who can't see the pics?

no

I could see them, it made me think it is North facing and shaded, a surface other than grass might make sense.

It is north facing so I got shady grass seed. I just didn't realise there was so much rubble. I kept sticking the fork in and hitting stuff. Became like a treasure hunt.

Rubble/rocks/stones in the soil can help trees grow strong?

May be wrong, think I heard that in relation to vineyards.

We call that a buiders graveyard in the trade, grass will grow happily on 2" of decent stuff, don't fancy your chances. I see hard landscaping in your future.

Call the archaeologists in, you ahistorical vandal. :)

I got a worm farm, they make lovely pets... I spoil them rotten...

Lots of tea so far, looking forward to our first batch of castings..

low maintenance

If you want to contain the size and ensure a good crop you will need to do at least biannual pruning (ideally annual) to keep the shape and cut out the intersecting branches. An easy way to think of it is that you're trying to make a basket shape to let the light in and removing any that cross each other.

In terms of a space efficient apple tree there are fruiting ones called ballerina that are elegant and look lovey with blossom in good years.

I’ve planted an ornamental cherry cost £10 it flowers real early with bright pink flowers once the flowers die the leaves come the main trunk has the pealing bark it also has small fruit which is great for wildlife,

Levelled off roughly, rain is falling now so that should settle it a bit:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/W4qNNtRypMuYjBmP6

Found a massive chisel.

A bit of a dredge. How did this go?

Did you follow any guidelines on setting this up?

I have fucking loads of big cardboard boxes and can easily get a neighbour to drop off a few tonnes of cow manure. Long term I’d like to make raised beds but this looks like a good place to start.

Any tips?

Hiya. Yeah it worked perfectly! Before setting it up, I watched all of Charles Downing’s videos on YT. But really it was as simple as it looks. Best tip is get some help! It’s a huge job, but really satisfying.

Do you mean Dowding? He is a close friend of one of my neighbours!

Yeah him. Get over there and befriend the shit out of him!

When did you set them up? Would the next month be a good time?

Just looked back at the pictures, pretty much exactly a year ago. Perfect timing before spring kicks in.

I need some bush / shrub ideas, as I'm becoming underwhelmed by one of our borders.

At the moment, there is (moving away from the house)

• a nice big Acer japonicum/*
  
• a scrubby hardy fuchsia/*
  
• some weird unidentified thing
  
• an arsehole clematis
  
• peonies/*
  
• a scrubby pieris japonica
  
• a good size camellia/*
  
• big agapanthus/*
  
• another scrubby pieris japonica
  
• more peonies/*
  
• a rose that just won't die
  
• something rhubarby
  
  

The starred ones I'd like to keep - the rest, I'm not so fussed.

The clematis would be ok, if it didn't grow so rampantly & strangle everything in its path.

I'd quite like some evergreens, like the camellia, do give some all year foliage.

It's a North facing border, with reasonably well draining loamy soil.

Any suggestions what else I could try?