The garden from scratch

   
Sorry...had to go and take a photo! 
Don't have this ....it never looks pretty

Those E Daisies are Erigeron - Spanish Daisy - spreads like mad with seeds.
Keep the photos coming - I like to see other people's gardens!!

Thanks Scarlet. I’m definitely not going down that road now. I’m thinking gravel. Keep it simple.
I like seeing photos of everyone’s gardens to   .

I had to google those daisies. Never heard of that name before. I recognised them as soon as I saw a picture.

SC am I tright in thinking your "private water supply" is in an underground pipe coming from a spring or similar? Is the blue line drawn on one of the top plans the ditch? Is the ditch particularly water retentive/reliably damp? If so you could plant it up with water marginal plants, flag iris maybe? Pop a willow near by on the corner of the plot in the wooded bit?

SC am I tright in thinking your "private water supply" is in an underground pipe coming from a spring or similar? Is the blue line drawn on one of the top plans the ditch? Is the ditch particularly water retentive/reliably damp? If so you could plant it up with water marginal plants, flag iris maybe? Pop a willow near by on the corner of the plot in the wooded bit?

Water supply is coming from the burn up the hill a bit . It will run through a pipe eventually. All we’ve put in place so far is the flow through filter tank. The blue line is a ditch we dug, trying to help dry out the bottom of the plot. We’re getting it dug deeper & wider as it definitely seems to help and has constant running water. It runs into the burn that runs down the side of the plot.  I was thinking flag iris . We’ve got lots growing here. I’ll collect seeds from them this year.

https://www.watersidenursery.co.uk/briti...ive-plants

Try these for an idea for some British natives. Is the ditch likely to always have running water or be dry in summer? Maybe some bog plants may be a better idea if it will be dry over summer. Have you considered widening and deepening part of it for a pond? Could be good for wildlife.

That’s a great website, thanks.
Lots of those plants grow here already. There’s also a good few of them already on my wish list. Then there is water mint! I’ve never smelled anything so repulsive. I can’t stand the stuff. Makes me feel physically ill! That’s not going anywhere near my garden. I worked in a wild flower nursery for a couple of years.
I couldn’t possibly make part of the ditch into a pond. What would my ditch diving Labrador do then !
Not sure if the ditch will dry out in summer. It was only dug in October. We’ve had some lovely dry spells since then and it’s not dried up ,but that doesn’t mean it won’t.

The ditch

   

The bit that’s been dug deeper and as deep as it’d go. It doesn’t look much different in the photo.

   

Going into the burn

   

A rough idea of distance from house site ( the white cains )

   

It’s another fairly unpleasant day outside. So time to throw some more ideas around.

Firstly a quick note about the ditch. I wanted a slightly meandering ditch, not dead straight. I know the water will still go a direct route, but that would leave me planting areas. When mentioning this to the digger driver he looked at me like I was mad (he does that a lot). So I might have to dig in my own planting areas. Will wait to see what it looks like when finished and the heap has been levelled out.
The little bridge we’ve got across the ditch ( 1st photo in about post ) , is getting widened so we can drive across it if we need to. It’s also getting moved slightly to one side. Not so central. I’m thinking of an arch over it. Kinda leading you to another part of the garden.

Now to the important areas the veggie garden/patch.

I have a few of these 

     

And still collecting as they become available. I’m thinking of using these as raised beds in the polytunnels . Also lining the inside with something.

I think this is brilliant for a starting point. I don’t know why, but this layout really appeals to me. 

   

I’d replace the wire bean arch for something like this.

   

The actual beds I want chunky. So I can attach things to them like hoops / stakes / covers . Something like this

   

Here’s the list of plants/ flowers/ shrubs/ bulbs/ trees I’d like in my garden. I’ll be honest I’ve read ever single thread in everything flowers. All 4 pages! ( thank the gods it’s a new forum   ). To help with my selection. 
Now it is a list of things I don’t already have waiting in the wings. So there’s some very obvious suspects missing.
I’ll update this post whenever I think of ( more likely when you mention ) other varieties. That way my list is in one place.

Snow in summer
Sweet rocket
Heleniums
Alyssum saxatilis
Buddleia (pink)
Catmint 
Winter honeysuckle 
Winter clematis 
Blue bells
Crab apple 
Crocus 
Flowering cherry
Flowering currant 
Forget-me-not
Pulmonaria
Campanula 
Potentilla 
Stachy 
Verbascum 
Globe thistle 
Red valerian 
Hebe
Hemp agrimony 
Cytisus battandieri ( bees love it )
Jasmine 
Rose (bush varieties)
Spindle
skimmia (shrub, white scented flowers in spring)
Helenium (daisy/sunflower type heads, lots of colours, late summer/ early autumn flowering)
Alyssum saxatilis (low growing evergreen with lots of yellow flowers in spring)
Comfrey bocking 14
Hellebore (I have one, want lots more, all colours)