Q: In my garden I have a large area of infertile land, nothing grows. We have just gotten rid of a palm tree, a threat to the house and the roots have ruined everything.
We were planning on paving or even cementing the area for the children. But we're hoping for a better way.
Would you be able to advise us on a way to water feature, or stylise our garden with shade loving shrubbery or flowers. Or a way to beautify our dead garden. Thank you. Jade – Marsden
A: Yours is a difficult question to answer, purely because it has insufficient detail. How large is the garden, what shape is it, what aspect does it lie in, is there sufficient space to lay out a lawn, etc.
There is nothing like a large lawn for children to play on! One hint you have given me is that you wish to plant out ‘shade loving shrubbery or flowers’. Is the entire garden shady?
I would suggest that it was the palm tree that has made your ‘area’ of garden infertile. Palms are very heavy feeders, and their thick fibrous root systems often prevent other plants from growing at their base. You now need to take out this entire fibrous root system. Was the palm taken out in toto’… stump and all? If a stump remains, this too needs to be taken out. It is a tough ask to do this manually.
I do apologise for not being able to give you something definite, Jade. Since you would like plants, water features, playing areas for the children, etc. it is best that you call in a qualified gardener or Landscape Architect, discuss your requirements and take it from there.
