where to start?!

Hi all, was hoping for some advice! Anything appreciated. I am new here! tried started last year but i got a bit overwhelmed and gave up! Thought i would give this gardening another go my garden is quite narrow but long with plenty of things wrong with it! Patio has weeds with a few slabs falling off. One of the fences is leaning over a bit. Decking is in a bad way in front of the patio. I have a concrete workshop with a rotten wooden door! Boring concrete path running through the lawn which is overgrown with weeds!at the bottom of the garden i stupidly put some bark to try and stop next doors brambles growing through their fence! Haha as i am typing this, i realise this isnt going to be easy! Come on someone give me an easy plan!! Thanks

 

Well, you've told us what's wrong with it but there must be positives too.

You have to decide what you want from your garden, is it a place to relax or entertain, a place for children to play, somewhere to work, a place to grow fruit, veg, flowers? All of the above? Think of it as any other space inside your house, what you want to do in the space governs what you put in it and how you arrange it. Think of how much time you have for the garden and how you want to spend that time - working or playing/relaxing.

I would suggest making a list and prioritising. Maybe put some planting in containers so that you can watch things grow and you can tackle the other jobs one by one starting with anything which is a safety hazard. Put your containers in the area where you can enjoy them most, they will draw the eye but will also teach you about what grows best where.

Rome wasn't built in a day and they say if you want to eat an elephant it has to be one bite at a time.

You will get so much information on this site too.

Good luck.

 

Welcome to GC lazyman Here goes.....most of what needs doing sounds more DIY than actual gardening. Are you handy? First priority is the fence. Check whether the posts need replacing or just re-setting, and the condition of the panels. Replace as necessary. (She says glibly)
Once you've tackled the fence, or got someone to do it, measure up the workshop door (assuming that you're keeping the workshop) and have a hunt around all the freebie/cheapie sites for a replacement.
Get yourself some glyphosate concentrate( @Scrungee will tell you where is cheapest to buy that.) Get a cheapie 11l watering can or a 7l sprayer and spray everything growing where it shouldn't be with diluted glyphosate! Then have patience...it takes a while to work through the roots and kill off the weeds entirely. Make sure you don't accidentally spray anything green and living that you want to keep, and don't use on the lawn unless you want to kill off the whole thing and start again.
Decking, well, it's down to you whether you think it's salvageable. If not, take the plunge and take up the existing slabs, level the whole area and lay slabs, either on a bed of sand or mortar. Well, that's next weekend taken care of
If you've got a hosepipe, lay it out on the ground to design your borders/lawn/path. The usual advice with a long narrow garden is to have plants or trellis or something to cut the straight line of vision down the garden. Even two or three times, to 'break it up'.

No wonder you feel overwhelmed Just take it a bit at a time and take photos along the way...you'll be so proud when you look back and see what you've achieved!

 

Hi both thanks for reply, already scares me!. Tried uploading photos. last year i did try growing some french beans and got 1 meal out of them!

 

Um....it's not too bad, really Looks as though the fence posts are on your neighbour's side. Have you had a word with them about straightening the fence up?
When that's done, I'd give all the fences a splash of stain or paint so they're all the same colour.
That path is a bit of a killer......are you planning any construction-type projects that will need hardcore bases? Two birds with one stone, so to speak
My priority, from the gardening point of view, would be to get some trees and shrubs in at the far end, for privacy.

 

Thanks again. Dont know if anyone will be able to tell but i am not handy or greenfingered but what sort of construction product could i use for hardcore. Any tips for trees shrubs at the back. The land behind is overgrown so all sorts of things appear under the fence. Only had it put up last year!

 

The photo helps but you still need to think about what you want from the garden. I'd agree that some height at the end would be good. If you're thinking of getting rid of the path then you can start from scratch, decide whether you want a mix of plants (that would be my own choice) with different heights and giving interest at different times of the year. Maybe a fruit tree so you get both blossom and fruit with some shrubs for colour. You don't need to spend a lot to start, most of the supermarkets have a variety and they're usually decent quality. Obviously if you want something unusual or special you'd have to spend more. You can underplant with ground cover plants, something like Vinca would cover the ground quickly and would fight back against whatever else is creeping under the fence.

If you intend to keep the path put something at the end as a focal point so that the path has a purpose.

I agree about the fence, that looks as though it's your priority and painting the rest will give you a good background to work from.

It looks as though somebody put in a good structure at some time, the wall below the deck and the path look well laid. Decking does have a lifespan and maybe yours is just suffering from old age. If it's mostly safe and you like it then obviously it needs to be repaired, if not look at how difficult it would be to remove. If it's sound, you could put some pots where the old balustrade is with something scented, edible or both. You could put up a trellis there and grow beans again this year, they're decorative too. Maybe you were just unlucky last year, make sure you prepare the ground well.

Make sure that you get a couple of chairs so that you can sit and admire your handiwork sometimes.

What about holding a working party/barbecue. Whilst you have clear space it's an ideal time to invite some people around especially if they're builders, gardeners or just strong. Half a dozen people willing to work together for an afternoon or two could do more than you could do on your own in 6 weekends.

 

I am making a start to my project then! if anyone else want to tell me what i can do to improve my plans let me know . Someone has kindly given me so strawberry plants so i have weeded out all that area and planted those! Have straighened the fence ish!! and have cut all the brambles down for now. I like the idea of a fruit tree down the bottom. Could i get more than 1 also what size would be best? could i also but some large shrubs in the corners if so are there any recomendations? I have had a look and there are so many choices it is ridiculous Next question might be a stupid one, the fence on the right is always blowing down - i dont suppose a hedge of shrubs would be strong enough to support it on that side?!

 

Re the fence, If it's always coming down on the same side that would suggest either there's a prevailing wind or there's something wrong with the supports. Whatever the cause, deeper and stronger supports are needed, I don't think bushes would be the answer.

Choosing new plants is always difficult. You have to decide on your own criteria. Fruit trees are long lasting so think about which you would be most likely to eat. Most provide blossom at this time of year, most fruit at the end of the summer. You would do well to look around and see what others have but this is a situation where it would be worth a trip to a good local nursery (where they grow not just sell) for some advice.

As far as other shrubs go, some grow very quickly and most will be full size in 3-5 years so don't be tempted to put them too close together, you can always take cuttings later.

Take some time to look at other people's gardens, you may find inspiration but remember a garden develops and everyone makes changes all the time so once you've got the basic structure there you'll be adding and changing things all the time. A garden is never finished!

 

ps You say you've cut the brambles. Pull out as much as you can - they will keep coming back and it's much easier to get at them before you put in other planting. They will send out long underground stems and pop up all over the place, also any long stem will also root where it touches the ground. (You'll get the same with your strawberries but the runners are easier to control)

 

Hi Lazyman, saw your message and thought you might appreciate hearing what I've just done with one my two flowerbeds, as i'm a newbie gardener who felt totally overwhelmed by it all too. I found a website called garden on a roll, which is basically a service that chooses all the plants for you based on what type of border you want (i.e. cottage garden, low maintenance, shady etc), delivers them all to you, and gives you a plan telling you how/where to plant them. I didn't really have a clue where to start so it was nice to have someone make all the inital choices for me. I've only had the plants in a week, but so far so good! Your long back border might be a good option for this or something similar, then you can plant more things once you've got started. Good luck whatever you do!