The garden on arrival and now

Lovely planting :-))

Good luck with your new garden, but looking at what you have achieved, you won't need it. Looking good.

What a difference looks great nice assorment of colour to.

Looks so good

Wow, what a difference you have made. Looks lovely

A big improvement!

Quite a few of those plants look really settled . A great difference and I'm sure you're thrilled.

That's neat planting.. well done !

Thank you for all your kind comments. I do love to be out in the garden and keep wanting to add more plants! I already see things that I want to move in the autumn to make room for others! We've put up a number of bird feeders as well and added a couple of bird baths, and watching them gives hours of entertainment.

Just looking at the before and after photos of the patio type area to the right in the back is a perfect example of how attractive and interesting one can make even the smallest of spaces. Wonderful!

Looks great and I appreciate how hard you have worked on it. Keep up the good work!

Absolutely lovely start to your garden! Welcome to Goy! Keep posting so we can enjoy your progress. Your garden reminds me so much of my beginnings on my last garden which I left behind 3 years ago. But I started exactly the same way as you have by planting loads of lovely perennials around the edge of the fence. 7 years later it was completely different, with patios, pergolas, greenhouse, island beds, pond, turf seats etc. I absolutely love gardening and think the best way to learn is to 'do it' :)

What a difference 18 months can make, you`re doing a grand job. Its nice that you have planted shrubs as well as flowers in the borders. Keep us posted as you progress.

Wow, what a difference, just goes to prove what a bit of effort (or more) and some inspiration can achieve. I am sure that the wildlife will appreciate the food and eventually the cover the plants and shrubs will give. Well done you, keep it up.
Close inspection with the magnifying glass tells me you have some climbers at the back, (?) these will be great for the birds, hopefully they will find a nesting space.

Thank you all for your comments. Loosestrife, that 'patio' area at the back was neither use nor ornament in my mind, more like an eyesore! It was raised up from the lawn, so I placed cut logs up against the sides, planted primroses in between and a couple of forget me nots in front. There is a large plant pot saucer placed up there as a bird bath and pots planted with evergreens and grasses and my trial at a bonsai oak that is about 10 years old. Honeysuckle, there are a couple of climbers, two clematis that I am trying to train up obelisks, so will have to see if they will be successful. I am hoping to grow ivy up a third obelisk, but until the cuttings put on some growth, I have planted some sweet peas, and a morning glory, so fingers crossed for a bit of colour from them. The lawn is more creeping weeds like clover than grass, but I won't use weed killer for the sake of the wildlife. The birds come down grubbing and much to my delight, I have seen miner bees burrowing as well! Thank you all again for your comments and encouragement.

Your hydrangea in picture one was perfectly positioned I think!!!
I love your garden and how pretty it looks already. The lawn also looks a lot greener!
Will look out for you now that I have found you!

Now taking bets ladies and gentlemen, on how long it will be before Numberfarm decides she needs to widen one of those borders to get more plants in...

I,m out:(

Steragram, you know us gardeners so well!!!!!!!!!.

I bet there will be lots less grass and lots and lots more planting before much longer. I know, I speak from experience lol. Mine was a grass field now it has hardly any grass. Great to see the before and after pictures. Keeeeeeeep Digging. lol. :O)

Ha Ha Steragram, I'm already thinking about doing that widening. And you're right Oliveoil, I dug over the grass around the side of the conservatory a few weeks ago (not visible in the photos) and have planted up some annuals and sweet peas, hopefully they will make a bit of show later this year. I've begun to think gardening is very addictive, but in a good therapeutic way, thankfully!