MAKING A NEW GARDEN

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30127, 10 May 1963, Page 6

MAKING A NEW GARDEN

New houses are being built at all times of the year and, once the house is completed and put in order attention is turned to the creation of a garden. It is during the winter months that many of the initial stages of making a garden will begin. The first step is to remove builders rubble and gather up and dispose of any other rubbish which may be lying about. Rampant vegetation should be removed either by burning or scything. Never be in a hurry to cut down trees which may be on the section: Remember they may take at least a lifetime to reach maturity. Try to incorporate the trees into your garden design. Trees provide shelter and shade, and there are many choice plants which are shade lovers. Trees are blamed for I a great many things which ! could warrant their removal, but they have many attriIbutes. and the removal of a tree is something that should be given the gravest thought. Even trees that are old, poorly shaped, or unsightly, can be trimmed and, if necessary. hidden by using them as support for climbers. Should it be decided that the trees must be removed, then take them out completely. Stumps are unsightly, take up a considerable amount of space and have a tendency to sucker. Their removal before the garden is made is not difficult for there is little chance of doing any damage. If drainage of section is bad this should be remedied before any work is contemplated.

Won’t Forget the Time FactoHaving prepared the site, make a list of features that you wish to incorporate into your garden. First and foremost, it is necessary at the very beginning to decide just how much time you will have to devote to your garden. A garden can be full of interesting features, choice plants and harmonious colours, and it can be neat and tidy. But all this may mean that the owner is a slave to his garden and has no time for anything else, *The amount of time that you will be able to devote to it will largely determine the shape that the garden can take.

Fresh vegetables from the garden are always a delight, but considerable time is necessary in their cultivation. Fruit trees need annual pruning and maintenance of a regular spray programme to produce quality fruit. Bedding schemes, although colourful, are expensive both in time and labour.

Lawns always look well, set off a house, and are relatively easy to* maintain, but a considerable amount of preliminary preparation is necessary. They need regular mowings in the summer and a considerable amount of water *n dry periods to keep them green. Shrubs and trees require the least attention. Work to a Plan

Having pondered all these problems, work out how much of the garden is to be occupied by vegetables, fruit trees and ornamentals. The marking out of boundaries should be the first consideration and it will be necessary to decide whether this will be by fences, walls or hedges. It may be that one or two paths are necessary with permanent surfaces, or a play area for children may be deemed desirable. These and other ideas should be added to your list of features. Pay attention to neigdibouring established gardens, visit public gardens and consult gardening books. They may give new ideas and, equally important, help you to avoid making mistakes. Now your plan cam be filled in. Draw up a plan on paper and to scale that will show the house, boundaries, approaches, garages and outbuildings if any. Having planned what your garden is to contain, it is unlikely that you can set to and create it all in one season, so it will be necessary to give each section a degree of importance.

First priority will be given to major structural work such as boundary walls and permanant pathways. Preparing The Ground

The next, and probably most important, is the intial preparation of the ground which has to be undertaken before planting can be carried out. Whether you do

this a section at a time, or the whole plot at once, it must be thorough. Some features will be down for many years so initial preparation will pay dividends. Cultivate as deeply as possible. Digging is preferable to rotary hoeing, for, even though it is more tedious, it does a better job. While cultivating remove perennial weeds and destroy them. If there is a heavy infestation of noxious weeds spraying with chemical weedkillers can be considered. There are none of the usual dangers in using these, that would be apparent in an established garden; except for the length of time the residue remains in the soil. Weed control, even with chemicals, is more efficient when accompanied by cultivation.

Where troublesome weeds such as couch or convolvulus are present, it may pay to leave the ground fallow for a season, maintaining cultivation in association with weedkiller applications. Fustrating as this may seem, it can save you hours •of •work removing these weeds from amongst your choice plants later.

During this initial cultivation as much organic matter as one can possibly obtain should be incorprated. Beware of Lime

When the initial cultivation is completed don’t be tempted to give too liberal applications of lime. This can lead to trouble in the form of induced mineral deficiencies, and it may be that you will want to grow lime haters, such as rhodendrons. Have your soil tested before you apply lime, then you will have some idea of how much is necessary.

Having completed the initial preparation, one can now turn to the more satisfying task of introducing plants. Early plantings should be hedges, especially in windswept areas where shelter is necessary. Trees take a long time to develop and these too should be planted early. The different sections of the garden can then follow in which ever order you wish. Besides the pleasure that a well planned garden gives, it must not be forgotten that it also improves _ the value of the house.