As a child I was taken for wanders round the Botanic Gardens near to my aunt's house. There was a glass house and formal beds full of little rows of things. As a child I thought 'nah! I don't think I like gardening.' Fast forward a few years and my cousin (same auntie!) got married and bought her own house. I visited. I loved it! (I was 8!)It was shrubby and wafty and no straight lines of anything. Fast forward some decades to last time I visited said cousin last year...the asparagus does not grow in straight lines in M's garden and nothing grows in straight lines in mine! Your garden your way.
Really I think a gradual pruning and light tidying up is all that is needed - and new planting in and around the base of the shrubs to add more interest at ground level. Why not keep a bit of that slightly wild, scrubby feel though. I kind of like it.
"What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour".
For anyone that has followed my posts, I have a garden which hasn't been maintained properly for a few years. I have this messy overgrown border of shrubs - Left to right I think Hebe, holly, pineapple guava in front of the holly, and forsythia, with some sorts of roses underneath to the right.
Would some cutting back, or more careful pruning help bring this back to a better shape? I'm totally overwhelmed by how much there is to do! I feel I need some pointers as to where to start! Help!
Start by giving them a good haircut and clearing out the clutter. Take it step by step, and you'll see the progress.
It's easy to get a bit overwhelmed @nickoslester93f3fKIn, but it's the old story of doing a bit at a time. Once you get the hang of it all, you'll be able to enjoy it, and you can start adding plants you like, and will give you pleasure. I'd say most people chop and change things around too, because plants don't always read the books, and will grow bigger, or not thrive as well as we hope, so it's an ever changing, living medium that can frustrate and delight us in equal measure
I love topiary and formal spaces, but I really dislike that habit of controlling every plant when most of them just aren't suited to it. The grass shaving is a particular pet hate of mine. Sprinklers being used in my neck of the woods is deplorable
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Lovely, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. But please do keep in touch with us if you need anymore help. Here’s mine, bought in 1996, bits of paper stuck in the shrubs I have here.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
That's an earlier edition of the one I have that I posted the link to, so maybe more likely to be available second-hand. The basics won't have changed.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
Posts
Your garden your way.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Royal-Horticultural-Society-Pruning-Training/dp/0751302074/ref=sr_1_31?crid=35T8WCEZEQK9W&keywords=Pruning+garden+plants&qid=1690412034&s=books&sprefix=pruning+garden+plants%2Cstripbooks%2C330&sr=1-31
I love topiary and formal spaces, but I really dislike that habit of controlling every plant when most of them just aren't suited to it. The grass shaving is a particular pet hate of mine. Sprinklers being used in my neck of the woods is deplorable
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Here’s mine, bought in 1996, bits of paper stuck in the shrubs I have here.