Thoughts for starting a garden at this time of year, please

I'm utterly hopeless at planning plantings, so can't help you there, but 2 things:

If you're planning to sow wild flowers don't 'improve' the soil where you plan to have them because they prefer poor soil. And you can probably sow seed now, because that's what happens in the wild.

It's fine to plant shrubs and perennials now, the soil is still warm and they'll have time to get established before winter. But, they'll need to be kept well watered to establish them, so if water is short in your area you might find that a problem. You can use 'grey' water though if you can collect and store it.

As your garden has been covered with paving slabs for some time the areas you don't use for wild flowers will need a good dose of organic matter. Garden compost, well rotted stable manure and the like. A good covering in the autumn will be taken into the soil by worms over the winter, no need to dig it in.

Enjoy your garden

Usually Autumn is a very good time to plant, but our plants don’t like our hard chalky tap water, so we would need the rain to water the plants in.

You could start to plant bulbs though ready for next year.

Pinterest has plenty of ideas for small gardens, just type in Cottage Gardens U.K.

You really should determine what type of soil you have, and which direction your garden faces as these two factors will have an impact on what plants and shrubs grow best in your garden. Some plants like full sun, some like dappled light and others like a cooler, damper location. You don't mention where you are geographically, a plant that. grows well in the milder temperatures southern UK might not be suitable for growing in the far northern locations.
Oops is correct, spring bulbs can go in now and I would be tempted to visit a local garden centre for advice on what is suitable for your location too.
Above all, enjoy your new project, there's no better feeling than watching something grow and flourish in our gardens. Have fun.

What fun! It’s a lovely project starting a new garden. As others have said, improve the soil now, while you’ve a bare patch and monitor the sun movement around the garden.
Also, Autumn is the best time to plant shrubs and plan for where the cottage annual will go in the Spring.
I’d draw a measured plan of the flower bed, just to give you an idea of where things might go. You might think about using the fence for climber or espalier fruit trees.
Now is a good time to go to nurseries and garden centres, as they begin to sell plants off cheaply, they don’t want to overwinter them. Especially if you want some larger specimen plants. How about a pergola to give height?
Now is also a good time to plant spring bulbs, that will give you colour early in the year.
Have a look at Pinterest’s small garden suggestions, it’s often a good place to give visual inspiration.

Sorry I’ve repeated some previous comments! Us gardeners are so keen to help!????

As well as others excellent advice it’s worth seeing what your neighbours grow successfully, I assume the ground is similar, it’s a good opportunity for a chat too. I’d also invest in another water butt, think I can see one round the side of the house.

What jaxjacky said about having a look around nearby to see what grows successfully in the local soil ?

Jaxjacky and Baggs are right. There's no point in planting shrubs that don't like your soil. Also, it may start conversations with your neighbours, which is a good thing in itself. As others have said, gardeners are, generally, a helpful and generous group of people.

Be aware of plants / shrubs that need a lot of water. I’m thinking Hydrangeas. Mine suffered this year.

I am a volunteer at an NT kitchen garden and one of the main things I have learned is that the soil is the most important aspect of a successful garden. You get out of the ground what you put in. If that makes sense! I have spent years trying to grow stuff in my garden where the soil is really poor and only get half hearted results. This autumn I will be piling on the manure etc. As someone up thread mentioned though, this doesn’t apply to wildflower gardens.

It’s also worth seeing what plants grow in the wild locally as they will be adapted to your soil and weather conditions. Then you can find the garden varieties of those plants and know they should like it in your garden.

You can get garden design apps to check your layout and design which will show how it looks when mature.

Regarding the wildflower area, it depends on whether you want an annual wildflower patch that needs re-sowing every year, or perennial wildflowers that can be left, more or less, to get on with it. You can buy seed mixes for both. The annual ones are very pretty but both have benefits for wildlife.

Abitbarmy

Regarding the wildflower area, it depends on whether you want an annual wildflower patch that needs re-sowing every year, or perennial wildflowers that can be left, more or less, to get on with it. You can buy seed mixes for both. The annual ones are very pretty but both have benefits for wildlife.

They do need some gardening input to remain in their original state, don't they? Annuals 'should' seed themselves and come back year after year, but they'll dwindle if crowded out by vigorous perennial wildflowers (I was going to say 'weeds' ? ) The wildflower patch has to be managed.

A friend once told us about the roundabouts in their city which had been seeded with wildflowers and then left to do their own thing. After a few years they were completely dominated by a few vigorous species.

Mind you the weeds wildflowers in my conventional beds don't seem to have that problem

A good project over the winter would be to fix a water butt to the rainwater drainpipe on the back of your house. Your plants will prefer rainwater to tap water and you will save on your water bills in future.

Having the wild flower meadow right outside your windows will be lovely in the sunny months but might just be bare earth in winter. Even in the wild flower patch some structure of perhaps evergreen shrubs will pay off. If you choose small shrubs with berries that will be a help to wildlife too. Don't forget a bird bath.

Could you cut a little hedgehog gate into the bottom of your fence somewhere? If you do that and put out water and food you might well get some hedgehogs visiting your garden.

How about growing some fruit trees against your fence?

I like the layout of your garden and your ideas. It's going to be amazing. Will you send some more photos later please?

I've been thinking that if our summers continue to be as hot then we need drought loving plants which don't need as much water.
How lovely to be creating a new garden; good luck with your project.

Apologies if already mentioned but under the ‘Latest’ heading on here there’s a section for ‘Small garden ideas on a budget’ which looks very useful. I’ve never noticed it before but there are some great ideas.

That looks like a great start.
Autumn is a good time to plant because the soil is still warm and the rain (we hope0 will settle things in. You can get bare-rooted shrubs and fruit trees at this time of year and they are much cheaper than pot grown ones.
have fun!

How fabulous to start a new garden.
Everyone has given you good suggestions lots of select.

My contribution is get something with hight. Up the fences or shrubs /bushes to give some impact so it doesn't look too flat.
Have fun.

I’m reading this thread with great interest, as I am starting a new garden from scratch, as well. I can’t check on what my neighbours are growing, as it’s a new-build scheme so we’re all on the start line.

My garden is south-facing, with a wall on the south side, which will be shaded. No worries about watering as I’m in Scotland and it’s rained a lot since we moved in ten days ago.

I did read an article recently which claimed it takes 10-20 years to be able to make a decent garden in a new build. If that’s really true, I may as well concrete it over as I’ll be almost 90 by then. ?

I’m going to do the soil-testing and take it from there.

Sorry for hijacking your thread, Douglas.

Suedonim I think that Garden Centres sell so many plants that are quite big nowadays that a garden can look quite mature in no time at all. Costs more though.

Our fruit tree ( the only one that didn’t die) is 10 years old this year and is heaving with apples. Not sure if our new ones, planted last year, will make it.
So maybe 10 years for trees, but stick a buddleia in the ground and it will be 15 feet high in a couple of years, there are some lovely colours available and they attract small birds as well as butterflies.

Yes, I’ve noticed that you can buy quite large plants nowadays. As pointed out further back, this can be a good time of year for bargains, too!

I now live close to a garden centre (with a cafe!) and five minutes drive from my dd, who has a well-established garden, so I’ll be nicking cuttings from her, too.

Thank you so much for this thread

Agreed Wolwol. VERY helpful thank you. But I have to say I feel just a little bit daunted by the wealth of good ideas

I will be looking around in the next day or two to see what is doing well locally.

I'm a new gardener too,never had time when I was working full time.I just started during the first lockdown.I buy a lot online from QVC they sell for a season ahead so next spring/summer plants on the site/programmes now.Sunday morning has garden stuff every week .
I'm happy with buying from them because they give advice and informaton about the plants they're selling live on air.
I'm very pleased with how the plants I've bought have done .
It will never be the stunning garden it wa swhen my Dad and FIL cared for it but its looked really good this year ...and I can only improve.
QVC sells from reputable suppliers and has a guarantee of quality .