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I have just culivated a strip of land (6 ft 50 ft ) which has good soil and weed free.
I know it is late, but are there any shrubs I can now plant which will look nice throughout the year?
Any suggestions very welcome

Many thanks
Ray

Hello Ray,

Most shrubs are container grown these days so it really does not matter when you purchase or plant them as long as the soil is workable i.e. not frosty or baked hard.
There are so many great shrubs to choose from, my advice would be to visit the gadrn centre once per month, each time purchasing a shrub that is flowering or displaying other features of interest that you like. By visiting and purchasing once per month like this you end up with a border that is coulourful and interesting throughout the whole year.

Many thanks for your reply.

The new strip is facing east with a fence behind so not too much sun in the afternoon.
Are there any plants more suitable than others, also could I grow potatoes, peas, carrots etc this time of year?

Thanks again
Ray

Hello again Ray,

I think it would be fine to grow those vegetables there but be sure to rotate them each year from one part of the border to another; this prevents build up of pests and diseases specific to the crop type. Be aware of the carrot root fly; adults flies at a certain height and therefore best results are achieved in a raised bed.

The soil sounds like a good, ordinary garden loam which gives you a great choice of suitable plants to grow. An east facing aspect does not provide any problems for me in terms of available light although I would not site a Camellia there (which you would have to grow in ericaceous compost anyway) because the rapid thaw on a frosty spring morning on and east facing site can damage delicate Camellia flowers especially those cultivars with white flowers.

George.

Hi George.
Sorry for delay in answering, I have been away for 5 days.
When you say a raised bed, is that compared to the surrounding soil?
The land is at the top of a sloped garden so is quite a bit higher than the rest of the garden.Ivy is growing through the fence behind the patch of land, from a farmers field, what is the best way to treat the ivy?
If I sound naive it's because until recently I had someone who looked after the garden for me, and my wife wants to do something with the new piece of land.
Many thanks for all the help
Regards
Ray

Hello again Ray,

By a raised bed, I was thinking of a railway sleeper or brick built construction. I think you will find that the carrot root fly flies at just above ground level wherever it may be so the idea is to raise the carrot crop above ground level height to avoid the flight path of the fly.

For a vegetable crop it sounds as if the surrounding soil would be suitable for the raised bed. You would only use ericaceous compost for example in a raised bed if growing acid loving plants like Camellias, Rhododendrons and Azaleas.

Getting rid of Ivy is not easy, it requires persistence and determination. You may also require lots of digging and repeat applications of the strongest weedkiller you can purchase.

Regards, George.

Many thanks George.
Regards
Ray