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Garden clear up for the summer

nivwilliamsnivwilliams Posts: 5
in Problem solving

Hi all, 

Have just moved to a new house and the garden is in a bad state! I'm a new gardener but very keen to drive this project myself with some help from family. I'd like to clean it up and maybe turn the back area into a bark play area? There are lots of nettles and weeds growing in this space... 

Can anyone offer a possible plan of action and some support? I know it'll take a while but I'm willing to invest some time into this. It just looks like a dead end at the moment. 

Nick
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  • nivwilliamsnivwilliams Posts: 5

  • nivwilliamsnivwilliams Posts: 5

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    edited May 2019
    First thing to do is to check every square metre for removable rubbish - bricks, glass, bits of wood and metal.   Then get a strimmer or a mower on the grass and cut it but don't scalp it too short.   It needs the leaves to feed the roots nad grow a good, healthy lawn.

    Once you've done that you should see more clearly what you have and can decide about how much work the grass needs to become a usable lawn and play area.   The paved area is an obvious outside dining and seating area but looks like it needs a good clean with a pressure washer.  You can probably hire one at a DIY store.

    The weeds in that back bed  indicate decent soil fertility so you could clear them and plant it up with beautiful plants.  For now, just cut them to the ground or pull them up then cover the soil with cardboard to stop new weeds growing while you decide what to do with it to disguise that wobbly looking fence - colour, perfume, fruit trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals........

    Find out if that fence is yours or belongs to the garden behind before you start fixing it or painting it.   Best to avoid neighbour disputes..........
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • JellyfireJellyfire Posts: 1,139
    edited May 2019
    First port of call for me would be to give that grass a high cut, then regularly cut it and try and get it back to some semblance of a lawn. you will doubtless have a few bald patches, but you can deal with those if and when you have a more definite idea of what you want to do. It will make the whole space seem less of a mess, plus give the kids somewhere to play.

    For the bark play area, you can do that very quickly, cheaply and easily.

    Most effective way is to spray off the weeds there, wait, spray again, then dig it over. 

    Personally I would avoid the weedkiller. I did much the same for our bark play area.. give it a high cut with a lawnmower, then cut as low as you can on it. Give it a dig over, try and pull out as many weeds as you can, but then a good thick layer of bark will suppress most of what is left. You will be able to have it done in a day or two that way. You will get a few stragglers popping through the bark,but they will be very easy to pull out. If you can pull them out with the roots they will soon give up the ghost.

    Edit: and as impatient gardener says, the fence looks like it needs a bit of TLC to make it sturdy and sound
  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043

    Are you willing to use weed killers? If you want that back bit as a play area you will have to get rid of the weeds first. Either weed killers or dig them out. I would mow it all first though before digging, less likely to get stung!

    Then I would put down a weed surpressant membrane and cover it with bark chippings. I wonder how old your children are. I would plant a couple of trees, such as crab apples at the back to help blot out the houses, but they would be at risk if your children are keen footballers!

    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • nivwilliamsnivwilliams Posts: 5
    Thank you all for your responses. It was really helpful to think about where to start. 

    Re weed killer, we are hesitant to use it at the back where the bark will go down so will work with the membrane. Is it best to use play safe bark?

    I started pulling the weeds (mowed first!) and have come across four tree stumps right at the back. I think I'll have to get someone out to remove them which is usually quite expensive.... it's really tough as it is all nettles and a large space!

    The fence belongs to the neighbours behind us and he has agreed to get it replaced. We will then paint the fences. For the grass, there are lots of bald patches and its not level. Any advice here?

    On the sides, we were thinking about taking that bush down and clearing the flower bed. Then planting some new plants there. Is this a good idea?

    Thank you! Nick
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Do the tidy up, cut the grass, clear the obvious weeds.  That will give you plenty to get on with given you're moving furniture and sorting out the house too.

    Live with it a while.  Watch how the sun and shade change thru the day, watch how the grass responds to being cut, wait and see if any interesting plants come up or any horrors.  Take notes and photos and let the size and shape of the garden mull on your brain's back burner so that you can make informed, rather than snap, decisions about what to do where to get the best out of the space and your budget.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    Replacing the fence will involve trampling, and digging holes to fill with concrete so don't plant anything permanent there until it's done.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093
    nivwilliams said:
    Is it best to use play safe bark?

    If you have a dog, be cautious about 'play bark'. It can have cocoa shell in it, which is toxic to dogs.
    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
  • nivwilliamsnivwilliams Posts: 5
    @raisingirl - can you use standard bark for play areas? What's the difference?
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