Garden going well despite zero skills & experience

[Spravotchka]

Hope this inzpires other first-time gardeners. Things thrive, things die, creatures move in - it's wonderful and worth all the effort.

 

 

[MitchellMc]

You've done an amazing job creating such a natural-looking space, @Spravotchka, even without prior experience. It's really inspiring to see your garden thrive! 

Well done, and thank you for sharing your journey with us.

Mitchell

[mich1972]

Absolutely love this @Spravotchka when you get some time, could you please share with new gardeners who would love to learn more about what type of plants you have growing, the soil type you use, what care you give them. I’m sure there are a lot of people new to the Workshop Community who would love to learn more 🌿😃

[Spravotchka]

Thank you Mitchell, that's very kind.

[Spravotchka]

Thank you Mich. I bought my place in October 2021 - my first ever house at age 57. The garden was lawn, roses and exotics, with only one native - a Mr Foster bottlebrush. I advertised the roses on Facebook & people came & dug them up & took them away. I covered the lawn with old indoor/outdoor carpet for about 6 weeks while I collected cardboard. I removed the carpet, worked out paths & beds, dug the soil up a bit, covered it with 5 layers of cardboard, then 5cm of mulch. It took me 4 mornings over Easter, and I did almost give up it was such hard work 🤣 I then poked holes in the cardboard, and planted root stock I bought for $2.50 from the local Landcare nursery. It is a great source of advice. I still made heaps of mistakes, and in the first year probably lost 20% of the plants. But other things really took off, especially native grasses, and lomandras. All the plants are endemic to within 50km of where I live, so they perfectly suit my garden. I gave everyone some Charlie Carp every month and native fertiliser every 6 months. I worried A LOT when things seemed sickly! Too much! Because mostly things recover once they're established. The best part was that native bees and butterflies moved in straight away, as well as birds & lizards. I planted things too close together, but this ended up as winning, as there are very few weeds or canetoads. Every day, I walk through snipping & admiring - it has made me so happy, recreating a little slice of bush where there was once a standard "English" garden. And that's my story!

[mich1972]

Good Morning @Spravotchka Thank you so much for sharing more information about your Garden. Every garden is different and you work with what you trial and feel comfortable with. This is great for new Gardeners in the Workshop Community !!