Does anyone know anything about gardening?

Circle is useless for growing food as it's shaded by the house. East and west facing are both fine. If you can grow stuff close to the house a west-facing eg brick wall retains heat into the evening so good for anything that likes that. Fruit basically. Tomatoes etc. However east facing is more sheltered from the prevailing wind.

Thought the circle was a bit of a reach.

@Tonts the front (west) is clearer, there are other close buildings north and trees NE.

Thanks both for your advice. I think Im getting too caught up with Sun and not considering wind, temperatures etc. but Im deffo confident I could persue on either side.

So when should I start planting stuff in the garden. Flowers, shrubs, that kind of thing? In the spring or does stuff need to go in earlier?

It seems to be spring already, I’ve got bulbs coming up all across my garden. Fucking depressing tbh, I’m sure a cold snap will be along soon to destroy them all.

It depends on the plant, the local rose guy says plant them in March. I've chucked things in last month and they are ok.

But as Eejit writes frost can kill some plants still so best to leave check based on what you have.

You want the soil to be warm and a good mix of sunshine and rain, so the best time to plant in the UK is the spring and autumn. Do it too early and a frost will potentially kill the plant of, do it in the summer and the heat and lack of water can be an issue.

I can happily not do anything for a couple of months. Cheers

That's the first seeds of this year started.
22 more to go... perhaps I went a wee bit overboard.

Had no success with the field scabious and devils bit scabious before, will start a batch indoors this time and see if that works.

I have 10 wild honeysuckle seeds growing from last year. Moist spagnum moss and then putting them in the fridge for 2-3 months works, done it twice and got seedlings every time.

2 Attachments

The first signs on life. One of my bulbs is starting to shoot. No idea which, possibly gladioli. I’m starting to think filling the front garden with bulbs wasn’t the best idea, but excited for the results

Below zero next two nights - just covered the emerging rhubarb.

Any good suggestions for a nice ornamental tree for our front garden? Usual London clay soil, north side but gets decent light, something that would look nice year round, and doesnt grow too big, 2-3m ish tops? Thanks!

Also, where do you buy trees from?! Would want something a little mature, nothing too small.

Cherry blossom or magnolia. Ours never fail to please me camellias are also really nice.

We’ve got this blue flowering shrub growing in our garden at the moment. I swear the flowers smell like new trainers.

Crab apple, if I were you. The crabs on mine are only just beginning to fade and drop now, and blossom comes early in spring, so there is some interest very-nearly all year round.

For a front garden I would personally avoid anything 3m tall and evergreen as it would block too much light in winter when you need all you can get.

Blossom can be pink or white and the crabs can be pink, yellow or red depending on variety.

I would get a multi-stem for added interest. Bonus of jelly.

Lazy suggestion, but have a look at drawf ornamental cherries that you like.

There are some with funky branches that add interest even when bare.

Go from a reputable source.

Also consider a rowan (sorbus). Quite a few varieties and they're native.

Some willows stay small and do pretty catcins and flowers.

Thanks folks

How about a leylandii? They'll get to 2-3 metres nice and quickly

Similar question, where is the best value place to get a mature birch tree (2-3m) delivered.

If anyone actually does want a leylandii I've got a fair few of them (coincidentally all 2-3 metres) that I will be getting rid of shortly.

I'll take the trunks, I have a woodburner (golf club in 3...2...1).

Doesn't it have too much sap/oil content and tar up the chimney?

Do you really need to plant a Birch?
https://www.allergyuk.org/types-of-allergies/hayfever/birch-pollen-and-allergies/

Yes, if burned green and exclusively.
No, if burned with mixed hardwood after 2 years of seasoning.

It goes up like a torch if burned green on a bonfire (I once burned a 200m run of 80 ft jobs in the middle of a field), it was quite spectacular.

It was only a flippant comment!

Nobody needs to plant a birch, poxy fally overy, shallow rooted, crap timber weeds. I don't care that they're pretty, the pollen gives me another excuse to despise them.