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cutting the the chase.

our garden is currently a building site. I have a a 2.5year old and a new baby so want to make it safe for them, but its a cottage, so still want to have native plants.

we are turfing the middle, but want border plants if possible.
any advice? (please)

Hi Kazaddress,

What compass direction does your house back wall face? It could make a lot of difference when choosing plants.

Hi Davie

We are SSE facing, and surrounded by damson trees and a few other large tree's (Oak, conifer, magnolia).
Ideally I would like the plants to be useful.

currently what's growing well are Budlia, Bleeding hearts, Bay, Rhododendrons,


any help/advice gratefully received :)

Blackcurrants (Ben Lomand), Rhubarb, Raspberries, Underplant with Mint and Compfrey, and other perennial herbs. For pretty flowers look at nitrgen fixing ones, Lupin, Laburnum, Box. Use existing trees to grow Hops & Grapes up and into.

Hi Bob.

Are Lupins not poisonous? (im not an expert). I am breastfeeding a new born baby, which takes a lot of time every few hours, so need to be sure that if my 2 year old is in the garden he cant come to harm if I am busy tending the the wee-one.

The seeds certainly are, especially to small children - rarely fatal, but not at all pleasant.

Mike

Ah, yes, well best check, Slugs like them.....

If you look at the list of poisonous plants here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_poisonous_plants
you'd be terrified of planting anything....I would stick to herbs such as lavender, rosemary, sage, and shrubs like potentilla. I have a border with some of these interspersed with annuals like antirrhinum (snap dragons). also perrennials like hollyhock can be grown against a wall or fence, particularly if it's a damp spot (Hollyhocks were originally planted for the purpose of drying out cottage walls). You could also consider growing a grape vine against your house. Although I'd recommend planting it about 4ft away and training it in to trellis/Vine ties. You can use the leaves to wrap rice parcels or other foods and of course the grapes themselves.

The best way to make it child friendly is to educate them from a young age not to eat plants unless you've picked it with them or make the flower beds out of bounds. (Not trying to teach you to suck eggs!)

Other plants of a herby nature: Parsley, lovage (Grows to 6ft), sunflowers, feverfew, marigolds.

Thankyou Davie. ok we are kinda on the right track then. I have hollihocks against the cottage wall (I must have known), snap dragon, olive, and a vine up the wall. Lavender and Rosemary just dies in our garden (does it like shade? is there a type of soil it prefers? I love these 2 herbs so any advice on them would be fab).

Lavender and rosemary do well in the Med, so they need open sun and hate being waterlogged. If your soil is too heavy, maybe mix in some grit? I grow both in a very stoney heavy clay soil.

I'm big into herbs at the moment. Many of them are lovely plants in their own right and have the advantage of being edible or useful. Try Jekka McVikar's website for inspiration. Just don't make the same mistake as I did and plant bronze fennel under your washing line. It grows far too high. Still, all the washing smells lovely.

Zoe

i'd go for hostas and ferns, my 2 year old son loves the playing in the ferns
cheers
marcus