Forum home› Problem solving
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Gardener From Scratch

GardenerFromScratchGardenerFromScratch Posts: 24
in Problem solving
I'm new to gardening and my new garden is new to having a gardener! It’s very overgrown with the previous owner having lived there for 84 years! There was a gardener there at some point in the distant past. 

I’ve watched a lot of Gardener’s World but I’m pretty much a beginner apart from mowing the lawn and a few dabbles with veg and borders. 

So, I’m interested in the best ways to get help and advice along the way with design, planting, raised beds etc. I started an instagram account but I think that’s probably better for showing off than advice and there’s certainly nothing to show off yet... 

If I use this forum, would it be best to make a new topic for everything or keep one thread going? Any advice is gratefully received! 

Here are a few “before” photos to give you an idea what I’m up against. There’s a lovely apple tree and some rhubarb. A few bulbs starting to come up too but not sure what they are yet. 


 
«13

Posts

  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    HI and welcome to the Forum.
    We love and project with lots of before and after photos. 
    I'd start with a good tidy up, get rid of rubbish / brambles etc and stand back and have another look. 
    Make a list of what YOU want from it. Others will probably say what THEY'D do. It's your garden so it has to suit you and your family. 
    Patience is the first thing a gardener needs to learn. It's a marathon not a sprint. 
    Devon.
  • PosyPosy Posts: 3,601
    Welcome to the forum. Wow! That's a project, alright. The first step is to clear the rubbish and reduce the jungle while you think about what you would like to end up with. It looks like a really good space and you will have loads of fun. There are always friendly, and expert voices here, so you'll get lots of support.
  • PurpleRosePurpleRose Posts: 538
    Hi and welcome. I am relatively new to gardening too and have a garden which was left to be over grown.

    We started by a general tidy up and weeding to see what was underneath the neglect and to see what the garden actually looked like. It was amazing the plants that came through over the summer months and the following spring.

    I so wish that I had done before and after pictures.

    Good luck with your garden. I hope you enjoy it. 
  • GardenerFromScratchGardenerFromScratch Posts: 24
    With regard to clearing it, I have an enormous mass of brambles. Most of that area will end up being lawn. Am I best to dig them out? I'm going to have to hire a mini-excavator to some hard landscaping, so should I use that to really dig them out? The ground is also quite uneven, so a good opportunity to level out the areas that need it. Should I also go over it with a rotavator? I don't want to look back at this early spell and wish I'd done a proper job of clearing/levelling it. 
  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    Welcome to the forum. That's quite a project you've got. I would start from the house first and gradually work your way down the garden. You will also probably have to hire a skip for all that rubbish and yes a mini-digger would be a good idea to get rid of all the bramble - which I'm afraid is going to be tough, long job. First, though you need to cut it down to ground level so will need a good pair of loppers and some really good tough leather gardening gauntlets (long gloves) otherwise you'll tear your hands/arms to pieces. Some people advocate cutting down the brambles, piling it over the stumps and setting fire to it but it looks like you've too many houses around you for that to be acceptable.

    Keep posting photos!
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • GardenerFromScratchGardenerFromScratch Posts: 24
    Lizzie27 said:
    Welcome to the forum. That's quite a project you've got. I would start from the house first and gradually work your way down the garden. You will also probably have to hire a skip for all that rubbish and yes a mini-digger would be a good idea to get rid of all the bramble - which I'm afraid is going to be tough, long job. First, though you need to cut it down to ground level so will need a good pair of loppers and some really good tough leather gardening gauntlets (long gloves) otherwise you'll tear your hands/arms to pieces. Some people advocate cutting down the brambles, piling it over the stumps and setting fire to it but it looks like you've too many houses around you for that to be acceptable.

    Keep posting photos!
    Thanks! There is quite a bit of scrap wood, so I think a bonfire in the brambly area is called for. I've got some good gauntlets, but they didn't protect my nose!
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    I agree with all the above.  Also I wouldn't use a rotavator  ... they just chop up the roots of perennial weeds which then all regrow and you have hundreds more weeds than you started with.  

    You've got a busy summer ahead of you but take your time and do it bit at a time so you don't exhaust yourself or pull too many muscles (been there and done that).

    Also, keep your eyes open for little treasures peeking through the undergrowth ... there may be some lovely plants in the jungle just waiting for someone to let the sunlight through  :)

    And what I did when I had a garden like that, which I knew would take two or three years for me to turn into the garden I wanted,  was in the autumn to plant up some pots and containers with bulbs and keep them around your front and back doors, so that next spring they'll cheer you up and the garden won't look so daunting.  

    Another idea is to make a place to sit out and have your coffee, lunch, glass of wine etc ... an old coffee table and a couple of dodgy old kitchen chairs will do ... a few pots of tulips around them and you'll be enjoying your garden right from the start  :)

    Good luck and keep posting the pictures ... we love a project 👍

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • JoeXJoeX Posts: 1,783
    Looks like fun :smiley:

    The remnants of that greenhouse look quite big - I’d suspect the owner put in a low of good plants before it became overgrown, so keep an eye out before discarding everything.

    Is the greenhouse frame salvageable?
  • GardenerFromScratchGardenerFromScratch Posts: 24
    Tin pot said:
    Looks like fun :smiley:

    The remnants of that greenhouse look quite big - I’d suspect the owner put in a low of good plants before it became overgrown, so keep an eye out before discarding everything.

    Is the greenhouse frame salvageable?
    Unfortunately not, it's mostly rotten. I'm going to keep a few usable sections to make a couple of cold frames.
  • GardenerFromScratchGardenerFromScratch Posts: 24
    Dovefromabove said:

    Another idea is to make a place to sit out and have your coffee, lunch, glass of wine etc ... an old coffee table and a couple of dodgy old kitchen chairs will do ... a few pots of tulips around them and you'll be enjoying your garden right from the start  :)

    I have one pot of daffodils by the back door and it makes a big difference!
Sign In or Register to comment.