The Project

I have never, ever, been a gardener. The only time I've ever had green fingers was due to a rather embarrassing skin complaint. My knowledge of plants and flowers is sketchy at best. I could pick a rose out of an identity parade, but that's about it. I have no idea where in the garden to plant things, how deep to dig, which way up to plant bulbs and by the way...what's a bulb?
This is our garden, in the photo. This picture was taken a few days ago. The big shed, optimistically called 'the summer house' by the people who lived here before, stays; as does the bench and decking. The tree at the end stays and so does the hedgerow that lines the right side of the garden. The rest of the garden is waiting for me to shape it into something that Capability Brown would be proud of. I have a vague idea of what I want from the garden:
A natural look.
I want to encourage wildlife into the garden-insects and birds. Maybe the odd hedgehog and red squirrel.
I don't want fussy. I want the garden to take care of itself.
I think my first port of call should be to have a look at which plants and flowers take my fancy. I should also make some sort of plan to see exactly what goes where. Over the coming days, weeks and months I shall be writing regular posts about how everything is taking shape.