I'm s**t at gardening, please help...

[VinceFox]

My garden is resonable sized and needs a few plants dotting around. Must be all year round, dont care if flowers or not and will consider anything from small flowerbed stuff up to freestanding bushes/trees.

What should i buy? I'm hopeless at watering and stuff so must be hardy.

[Pheo]

RHS Plant selector is your friend.

Also hardy generally refers to frost - if you CBA watering make sure you look for drought resistance!!

[BoRED S2upid]

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=122

Hydrangeas are great they stand some abuse flower forever and take up a lot of room we have a pretty big garden and 3 of these and a couple of other shrubs does the job oh and a few daffs for spring.

[VinceFox]

Thx for replies, that rhs site looks bloody useful

[Dr Mike Oxgreen]

Hydrangea isn't a good suggestion for someone who says they're "hopeless at watering" - they're not drought resistant at all.

Consider Californian lilac (Ceanothus). Masses of blue flowers in spring, drought resistant, reasonably frost hardy in all but the most severe exceptional winter. Evergreen. My favourite variety is "Skylark" for its glossy leaves, but any are good.

Have a look at Spiraeas as well. They're drought resistant, although not evergreen. Easy, nice flowers, attractive foliage. Wide choice of different colours and habits.

Try the various types of Sedum with thick, fleshy, succulent leaves. Nice clusters of flowers in late summer. Very drought resistant. Dies back in winter but comes back every year.

Buddleia davidii is the "butterfly bush" that grows at the side of railway lines. Very tough, semi-evergreen (keeps most of its leaves). Wants cutting back severely in early spring, but other than that is maintenance-free and drought resistant. Available in various colours.

All the things I've mentioned are easy-peasy, and will attract bumblebees and butterflies.

Try also Choisya "sundance" with bright yellow leaves. Evergreen and easy. Also "smoke bush" (Cotinus) with nice purple leaves (but not evergreen).

[VinceFox]

Dr Mike Oxgreen said:

Hydrangea isn't a good suggestion for someone who says they're "hopeless at watering" - they're not drought resistant at all.

Consider Californian lilac (Ceanothus). Masses of blue flowers in spring, drought resistant, reasonably frost hardy in all but the most severe exceptional winter. Evergreen. My favourite variety is "Skylark" for its glossy leaves, but any are good.

Have a look at Spiraeas as well. They're drought resistant, although not evergreen. Easy, nice flowers, attractive foliage. Wide choice of different colours and habits.

Try the various types of Sedum with thick, fleshy, succulent leaves. Nice clusters of flowers in late summer. Very drought resistant. Dies back in winter but comes back every year.

Buddleia davidii is the "butterfly bush" that grows at the side of railway lines. Very tough, semi-evergreen (keeps most of its leaves). Wants cutting back severely in early spring, but other than that is maintenance-free and drought resistant. Available in various colours.

All the things I've mentioned are easy-peasy, and will attract bumblebees and butterflies.

Try also Choisya "sundance" with bright yellow leaves. Evergreen and easy. Also "smoke bush" (Cotinus) with nice purple leaves (but not evergreen).

Thanks so much for writing all this

[Dr Mike Oxgreen]

Also, for early spring colour you can't go wrong with some bulbs. Daffodils, snowdrops, crocus are all "fit and forget" in terms of maintenance, and will give you early colour to revive your garden from the winter doldrums. Autumn is the right time of year to stick them in the ground, and they're best planted in clumps.

[VinceFox]

I think i have daffodils already, from the previous owner. Just spent bit of time clearing one of the "flower beds" and it's just like a dust bowl. I also had a lot of what looked like barley growing in it.

[Renovation]

Dr Mike Oxgreen said:

Buddleia davidii is the "butterfly bush" that grows at the side of railway lines. Very tough, semi-evergreen (keeps most of its leaves).

^^^This

We have loads of them - considered by some to be a weed as it's so hardy.

I've got two that are 20' tall and alive with bees and butterflies if they get leggy - butcher them - you won't kill them.

[VinceFox]

My parents have a huge buddlea in their garden, can i take a slice off it and stick it in the ground?

[VinceFox]

Here's one of the "flowerbeds" under some sort of wall bush that ive spent the afternoon cutting back with a pair of scissors.

[RichB]

VinceFox said:

My parents have a huge buddlea in their garden, can i take a slice off it and stick it in the ground?

Of course you can.

[RichB]

VinceFox said:

Here's one of the "flowerbeds" under some sort of wall bush that ive spent the afternoon cutting back with a pair of scissors.

Unless you're some sort of perverse masochist I imaging you realise it would be quicker, easier and probably better all round in the long run to go and buy some garden shears.

[mrsshpub]

VinceFox said:

My parents have a huge buddlea in their garden, can i take a slice off it and stick it in the ground?

Good info on buddleia propagation here: www.buddlejagarden.co.uk/growing.html

[RichB]

mrsshpub said:

VinceFox said:

My parents have a huge buddlea in their garden, can i take a slice off it and stick it in the ground?

Good info on buddleia propagation here: www.buddlejagarden.co.uk/growing.html

He didn't ask if it would grow!

[VinceFox]

RichB said:

mrsshpub said:

VinceFox said:

My parents have a huge buddlea in their garden, can i take a slice off it and stick it in the ground?

Good info on buddleia propagation here: www.buddlejagarden.co.uk/growing.html

He didn't ask if it would grow!

Thanks for the link. I have no problems with pulling cars and bikes apart, but i know absolutely sod all about this stuff.

The cat just tried to scratch up on the fresh soil too. Lovely.

[Renovation]

RichB said:

mrsshpub said:

VinceFox said:

My parents have a huge buddlea in their garden, can i take a slice off it and stick it in the ground?

Good info on buddleia propagation here: www.buddlejagarden.co.uk/growing.html

He didn't ask if it would grow!

From the link:

"many gardeners simply stick a Buddleja twig in the ground in the summer and, lo! and behold, they have a new plant next spring"

[VinceFox]

Renovation said:

RichB said:

mrsshpub said:

VinceFox said:

My parents have a huge buddlea in their garden, can i take a slice off it and stick it in the ground?

Good info on buddleia propagation here: www.buddlejagarden.co.uk/growing.html

He didn't ask if it would grow!

From the link:

"many gardeners simply stick a Buddleja twig in the ground in the summer and, lo! and behold, they have a new plant next spring"

SOLD.

bet i can still nuts that.

[RichB]

You can do the same with berberis. My wife put in a load of cuttings to keep the cats off the boarder and next year half of them had struck.

[Simpo Two]

My garden is fairly Darwinian and the notable survivors are (or were until I binned them for getting too big):

Mallow
Honesty
Evergreen honeysuckle
Shrub honeysuckle
Virginia creeper
Cotoneaster
Poppies
Foxtail
Anemone japonica

If you can't water, don't put anything in pots or planters.