Novice help!

cloeandrews73357 · 3 February

I'm a COMPLETE garden novice. We moved into our house last May and have just left the garden until last weekend. Whoops!!

The grass hasn't been cut, looks long and very dead. There are weeds everywhere and some rather dead potted plants and plants jn the border.

I've trimmed back most of the overgrown stuff but now not really sure where to start next or how to solve the grass issue.

Pictures to follow when it's light.

cloeandrews73357 · 3 February

Heres half the garden. Before today most of the path wasn't even visible.

clematisdorset · 3 February

Welcome to the forum. It is still winter so I would be inclined to wait until there are signs of growth before getting rid of plants that seem dead. Well done for clearing the plants around the path. Lovely arch gate by the way!

Lizzie27 · 3 February

I agree with @clematisdorset, you may be pleasantly surprised when the weather gets a little warmer.

Papi Jo · 3 February

Lizzie27 said:

[...] you may be pleasantly surprised when the weather gets a little warmer.

... or not!😉

Ceres · 3 February

You may find that there are spring bulbs hiding amongst all that.

Renovating a garden can be a daunting prospect but if you take it slowly and just work outwards from one spot instead of trying to do everything at once, it becomes less of a chore.

Songbird-2 · 3 February

Well done for clearing the path @cloeandrews73357 and welcome to the forum. The garden may seem overwhelming to you particularly if you are new to gardening. However, aI would suggest just getting to know your garden during this first year - see what happens outside with regards to plants emerging from the soil, those still with foliage waiting to see how they grow, and also to see where the sun appears and disappears round your garden during the day. This will help with future planting as you will need to know what plants need shade and others need more sun.
If there are any plants in your garden that you need help identifying you can always take a picture and post it on here where hopefully you will get an ID. Then you can explore how to look after it thereafter.
Hopefully someone will come along to advise you regarding the lawn. Personally, as others have said, I would leave it until the ground warms up and you can get started with mowing it and see what it is like underneath. Good luck and enjoy it.

Busy-Lizzie · 4 February

Hello @cloeandrews73357.

I was wondering, as it's your first garden, whether you had any equipment to deal with it. Do you have a lawnmower? I would mow the lawn on a high cut as soon as it's dry enough. All the dead grass in the way won't help new grass to grow. Then mow it again a couple of weeks later on a lower cut. Grass won't grow much until it's warmer though.

Have you a plan of how you want your garden to look? Do you want flowers, vegetables, places to sit, a small tree, play area for children etc? Easy maintenance or do you want to develop it?

If you want to become a gardener you will need to know what sort of soil you have, clay, sand etc., whether it's acid, alkali, neutral. You can buy soil test kits in garden centres. See where the sun is, where it's shady, as @Lizzie27 said.

Well done for the path. Good start.

Joyce Goldenlily · 4 February

As you have started to sort the lawn and you are itching to carry on you could continue by cutting the lawn again with shears to reduce the length of the grass before trying to mow it. The grass will look horrible, lumpy, bare patches etc but it will be much easier to mow and your mower, if you have one, will not get bunged up with long grass. Cut a small area at a time, it will be hard work.
Leave everything else alone until next summer, by then you will see what is in the garden and whether you like it. There may be some attractive flowering shrubs, perennials and bulbs hidden in the undergrowth.

coccinella · 4 February

Lovely wall and arch and welcome to the forum @cloeandrews73357. Since you moved in last May could you have possibly taken some photos during the summer? The very clever people that have already posted on this thread might recognise the plants.

cloeandrews73357 · 4 February

Thanks for the advice so far.

Getting the grass back to at least looking alive would be a nice start. The dead stuff on top is really long, would it be best to start with a strimmer on that rather than mower?
@Busy-Lizzie yes, have got a small mower.

Heres a picture of the rest of the garden. I think the plant in the middle is a rose variety. Again it was about a third into in the garden until yesterday.

Novice help!

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