We will try and start to work on our garden this year. Bought it together with our house nearly 3 y ago and only did some cleaning to not let it completely overgrow.
We will start extremely basic with seeding a little bit of lawn and a wide stripe of wildflowers on the sides as we don't have a lot of time this year as new parents.
There is a walnut growing that we had trimmed last fall and some old Raspberrie plants that reproduce via the root. guess ill try and gently push it to the parts of the garden id like it to grow over the next few years.
Ultimately id like to swap the lawn with an ecological and easy to maintain alternative that my kid can play on and go full eco with wildflowers, bee hotels, cairn and what not at the edges of the garden.
Do some of you have a recommendation for a grass alternative that fits middle European weather that will not need loads of water to survive a harsh summer?
Hey congrats! Your plan sounds awesome, and the little one is sure to enjoy the natural beauty you're looking to foster.
Another way you could easily push the raspberry out to more spaces is by taking cuttings; when you remove canes during pruning, cut them into 20-30cm (8-12 inches) pieces and poke those into the ground where you'd like more. Keep one or two buds above ground, with one at the top of each cutting. Blackberries, currants, elderberry, and willow (Rubus, Ribes, Sambucus, and Salix) are other plants that can be easily propagated by this method.