NEW GARDENER - NEW OVERGROWN BIG GARDEN, HELP NEEDED!!
leahjade
Posts: 10
Hi Guys.
I am a brand new gardener (I have never done any gardening in my life, EVER!) so when we bought our new house and we were faced with the overgrown, weed ridden big garden it was a bit overwhelming.
We have strimmed a bit of it down and mowed the lawn (which was knee high) but to be honest I have no clue where to go from here.
There are nettles and weeds everywhere, at the top of the garden there is some sort of overgrown rockery and there are paving stones all around the garden which are covered by weeds and grass.
I am under no impression this is going to be a quick process - i know gardens take years to look lovely, but please please please could you give me some advice on what I can do with this garden and where to begin?! (no technical terminology please as i am a newbie and I'm not sure i even know what a shrub is!)
thank you so much in advance 
LJ x
Last edited: 22 May 2016 17:45:55
Posts
Hello leahjade. If I were you I would concentrate on clearing the garden of all the weeds. I wouldn't even think of planting anything new until they have been dealt with. Work on one section at a time as it might seem overwhelming at first. Once you have got one area clear then you can think about the planting. Continue with the mowing too. You have a very promising space there.
Hi there, thanks for your response!
What would be the easiest way to do this, as the weeds are intertwined with the big trees around the garden - is there a particular way to do it? Would you use weed killer, or would you just physically pull the weeds out?
LJ x
You have quite a task ahead of you there, but it's a very promising space. I would suggest you spend a lot of time reading and watching YouTube. You have a lot to learn and I don't think a post here can be much help. You can get excellent gardening books in charity shops for a couple of pounds. youtube has a wealth of instructional videos too. Search for just about any topic and you'll find it. Watch gardening programmes too. Otherwise, keep mowing, focus on learning about one small area at a time, don't rush it and look forward to developing one of the most satisfying hobbies you could have xx
I think that you should just try as far as possible to hand weed. There are weedkillers that are alledgedly safe to use around trees but I personally would not use them. Strimming and mowing weakens weeds so you have made a good start. Just be very careful using strimmers near trees as if the bark is damaged by the strimmer it can - in extreme cases - kill the tree.
On the clearly defined paths and paving slabs I would be tempted to put down weedkiller - something like Pathclear that will kill the weeds and the soil - so be careful with it. On other clearly defined areas like the potential rockery(which looks from the pic to be all grass) I would spray with something like Weedol which will only kill green stuff but does not harm the soil. That will give you a start. At some point you will have to pull out the now dead weeds/grass from these areas. After that it will be a case of hand weeding along the borders underneath the hedges. You are going to have to learn what is a weed and what isn't. Perhaps you have a friend who is a keen or semi-keen gardener??
I I would concentrate this year on just tidying everything up and keeping on top of the grass and weeds. Then the fun can begin with new planting.............
Now that you have strimmed the garden I would concentrate on removing what are obvious weeds, e.g. nettles, brambles and similar. Anything you aren't sure of allow to grow until it flowers and then post photos here. Somebody will tell you whether they are weeds or useful plants.
Welcome to the never ending world of the garden.
Last edited: 22 May 2016 19:04:20
Firstly look at it as an exciting project - you have a blank canvas to create something beautiful on.
Secondly try and decide what you want to achieve - look at garden pictures, watch the Flower show on telly this week, get ideas and inspiration - much easier to have a picture in your mind as to what you are trying to achieve.
Personally - I'd be ruthless - if you don't like something - dig it up, if you are not sure you want it, pop it in a pot for later.
Don't be scared to cut some of the shrubs/trees back hard, they would have been put in as much smaller specimens a long time ago. The holly bush, if you don't like it - get rid of it. There's a long shrub on the right of 4th photo - pretty sure that's not what the original plan was - I'd get rid of it . You choice obviously but don't be scared is the point.
Once you have an idea of what you are trying to achieve, make a plan, measure the garden, draw it up, add what you want - this is not difficult or complicated, it just gives you an idea of how much space something will take up i.e. if you want a seating area how big do you need it and how does that fit in your space. You can add the direction of the sun - so you might want the seating area to get the evening sun or work out the sunniest area for sun loving plants etc.
I think a garden always look best when the grass is cut neatly and borders are edged and sharp, you can plant over that but while its in transition, it looks best kept neat and tidy.
You'll make mistakes - don't worry about it. Enjoy it.
We had a garden 25 years ago, couldnt even walk down it for 6 weeks, so overgrown brambles etc. found car bonnett bomb shelter! all sorts. You look like you have made a great start, I am with you, I cut grass twice a week, if that is tidy, makes a big difference. you need to know which was your garden faces, ie. how much sun, shade, soil type, you can buy a kit for about a fiver. Deside roughly what you like and want, kids play area, somewhere to sit, grow fruit veg. Set of basic tools, a lot of hard work, but enjoyable too, otherwise we wouldnt all do it. You have a lovelly space there.
As I went down the pictures my head tilted to one side and I was saying things like "oh dear" and "aw bless"... You have your work cut out for you my lady.
When I bought my first house the lady we bought from said "give the garden a year and see what comes up" We did and had all sorts of pleasant surpsises.
As everyone else says.cut it back and remove the obvious weeds. If they're not obvious to you then post a pic of the leaves on here and we'll sort that out for you with advice on how best to remove it. You'll probably recoginise the nettles for a start!
Clear the existing paths and decide if you still want them. Think about where you might put a shed/playhouse/greenhouse/gang hut...it's a very personal place and we all use ours differently as you will see from the many many MANY and varied opinions on here.
Some of those things have just outgrown their space and need a good chop back and some need banished to the tip.
I personally can't stand gardening programmes (well shut my mouth) but some folk on here clearly love them. I get most of my ideas from what I see around me and the photographs on this forum. There were always gardening books kicking about the house and I always have those on hand as well as "tinternet".
If you have all the time in the world go on Pinterest for ideas. That way you can see what is possible and then you can decide what is probable.
It'll be great!
Last edited: 23 May 2016 10:01:05