Ask Gerry

i have a large garden 323 ft long by 106 ft wide whats the best way to plant it i'm no good at drawing, my minds plan is small veg plots ornamental trees and shrubs fruit bushes with gravel paths in between and a poly tunnel the tunnel i bought is 48 ft long and 18ft wide my garden is south facing so gets sun all day but is very exposed to winter winds 50/60 miles an hour whats the best shelter belt other then trees i was thinking whitethorn and pyrachanta i have sheep wire and barbed wire fence. ..

New home shortly, east facing garden, gentle slope away from house. in grass mainly with border all round, not deep border. am disabled and would like to know how you feel i could approach this, avid gardener, but beginner really!

My back garden is just so wet, i cannot now walk on it at all, as my feet are sinking down into the mud/swamp and its only September. We have 3 children and we cant let them out to play as its just too swampy-would we better to just pave it all, or is there something we could do - I do know once when we had good weather, that when it did dry out, we had cracks in teh ground big enough to put your hands into - We did put extra topsoil etc on it, but doesnt seem to have made any difference

I really want to learn how to grow, so i got a 3/4 acre field rented, not using all though that would be madness. Its covered in scutch grass and i want to grow flowers and veg and just create a beautiful space. Do not want to spray anything. Am i right in saying i need to plough Oct/Nov, cover as heavily as i can with horse manure and cover with plastic until spring?? Is there anything else i could be doing?

I am a novice gardener. I have a large mature neglected garden.115I would really love to take care of my garden. where do I begin. I feel overwhelmed.

I have just moved and only grass in garden. Am a complete gardening beginner. Is there anything I can plant this time of year to add some colour to the garden. Shrubs or flower, preferably something that will come back yearly.

Can you suggest a tree, climber, some shrubs or flowers for a poorly drained small to medium sized garden. (26 by 30ft).It is water logged in winter and has a heavy clay soil. It's not an option to do a big job on the drainage I had four beautiful trees for a few years but all died.Lar Duffy A mountain Ash, Hawthorn, and Acers. I also lost 2 Pyracantas.

We are the Parents Association of a school in Douglas with a centre for Autistic children. We have a budget of approx EUR3500.00 to plant a garden.The sensory garden will include plants to touch, flowers to see and smell, birds to listen to, fruits and vegetables to taste, a place to move and learn how to care for plants and grow foods. We want to put alot of thought into what we plant and when, as our budget is limited. We look forward to any suggetions you can make regarding plants and layout. It is a large, flat sunny site, with reasonabe drainage. The plants will need to be robust to allow the boys to explore the area fully.. We look forward to your reply and to getting our hands mucky.

Ive just bought my first home and would like to work on the front garden ive never planted anything, im wondering when i need to start planting for summer id like some potted flowers and some for the side of the lawn and i dont have a clue. Thanks Rebecca

We want to develop a garden of some sort and dont know where to start. The site will need to be cleared first and we have a plan that involves plenty of trees and hedging. we plan to adhere to the slope of the land and natural borders (ie ditches). we are looking at design books and just need a step by step guide of how to start the process. we wouldnt have any experience of this before.

I am starting a new garden in our newly built home. For planning we had to position the house to the rear of the site, leaving a very large front garden. Space to the back is limited. Total area 1 acre approx... including house. Fabulous views on an elavated site. Problem...I need to create shelter without blocking scenery. Problem...the site is quite elavated and I need someone to advise me on earth movement to get good levels...I want a very rustic, habitat friendly garden and don't know where I can find a landscaper that is sympathetic to the site. Problem....don't have a large budget. Full of problems!! Any suggestions welcome.

i have moved into my mother and father in laws house, i want to get rid of their overgrown garden and start a garden of my own but dont know what or how to do any gardening, i think would like to grow some fruit trees and bushes, as well as some nice easy plants and flowers, we are in the middle of cutting away the palm trees eventually, however we are planning on planting a beech hedge at the back of the trees, as there is a piggery about 30 feet from the house, the part of the garden is east facing so when we eventually take away the final row there will be something there, we will eventually will be renovating the house into a story and a half. please help me, i have some more pictures on my own page. please help as i have my moter in law telling me to do this and that to her bushes and i hate them

I'll be traveling in Ireland in 2011 and hope to visit many of Ireland's wonderful gardens. I'd also like to stop at some really great garden centres. Any suggestions?

I've suffered from fibromyalgia for c. 12 years. Lately it's getting worse and I find it difficult to bend, kneel etc. I love my garden. Is there any way I can find aids to enable me to do more?

In the last 3 weeks i have noticed these bluebottles covering my wall. They only appear when the sun is shining on this wall. My neighbour removed ivy which was covered in these insects, She assures me her bins have nothing untoward in them.. We have removed everything from the area but still they are appearing.Is there an epidemic at the moment. There is nothing dead in the garden.my garden is small and i cannot enjoy it at the moment. Please help?