Gardening design for newbies

[BramblyHedge]

Hi! I'd like to ask for some advice.

I live in Bath (UK) and I'm a complete beginner when it comes to gardening.
I have three areas in my garden where I can plant. Just to give you an idea of how much of a gardening dummy I am – I consider it a major achievement that I’ve managed to keep my herbs alive! So whatever I plant needs to be fairly tough, low-maintenance, and not too fussy.

Two of them are large but surrounded by tall trees, so they're always in shade and never get any sun. The third is a narrow strip that gets full sun.

My priority is to choose plants that are beautiful (of course!), suitable for each spot, and EASY to look after.
For example, my neighbour has a blue Ceanothus which is absolutely beautiful but I've read they need a lot of sunlight, so it wouldn't work for my two large shady spots – and it’s far too big and bulky for the narrow sunny strip.

Could anyone recommend what they would plant if they were in my position?

 

[oneeye]

I would break the ground up and cultivate the areas you want to plant in first. You may have compacted soil and it may need working it for a while before planting anything. Start with just a few plants at a time and keep it simple at first. After you get the hang of a couple, you can add more. Make sure all the plants will be close enough to a water source for easy watering.

 

[Meadowlark]

In that narrow sunny strip, a rose garden would be spectacular. They would meet your criteria except they need occasional care...not a lot.

In the shaded areas a few azaleas would look nice and also meet your criteria.

 

[BramblyHedge]

I would break the ground up and cultivate the areas you want to plant in first. You may have compacted soil and it may need working it for a while before planting anything. Start with just a few plants at a time and keep it simple at first. After you get the hang of a couple, you can add more. Make sure all the plants will be close enough to a water source for easy watering.

Thanks, I'll bear it in mind!

 

[BramblyHedge]

In that narrow sunny strip, a rose garden would be spectacular. They would meet your criteria except they need occasional care...not a lot.

In the shaded areas a few azaleas would look nice and also meet your criteria.

I didn't know azaleas could bloom in such a shady spot — what a joy! I'll plant some as soon as I can!

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Camelias do well on the north face of our large hedge, and rhododendrons as well as azaleas, the camelias are a bit earlier, but I'm wondering, isn't Bath on a sort of limestone? That would make it alkaline and all those like acidic conditions I believe. Cotoneaster will take shade, lots of small white flowers insects love followed by red berries, there are vertical and horizontal varieties. Forsythia, brilliant yellow Spring flowers, or hydrangea comes in various forms. All pretty simple maintenance.