Help! :( don't know where to start with this mess!

Argh! Going mad and feel like I am going round in circles. My mum lives in my bungalow and she was really keen on gardening but with health pro lems etc the garden has become a weedy mess. Planning on expanding the patio further so she van have a couple of planters instead of a border, and just keep a ti y border to keep honeysuckle and clematis up the fence. That bit I can cope with...


But there are some bits I'm unsure about. I think i can fill the back border with easy care plants?? Currently there are some hellebores in and 2 lupins which are fantastic when in season.



Any suggestions on what can fill it oit and provide good ground cover to prevent the need for weeding?

The worst part is this corner: 2 apple trees, one of which grew bendy after being left in a small pot for a couple of years. It produced a good lot of apples but they were left to rot so I've cleared all that.

There are some elephant ears id put in to hopefully provide some ground cover but guessing these will take quiet a while to spread.







And the lavenders which had been left in pots for 6 months until i planted them in the border. They've been left and not trimmed....any advice on how I can tidy these up? I can only find info saying the dead flowers should have been cut off earlier (obvs).

I think what I'm going to do is:
1) weed the patio border and put some anti weed material down until we can get the patio expanded to prevent it from getting worse

2)tidy up the lavenders if i get any advice?

3) put down some anti weed material until i can get some ideas on ground cover for that area

4) prune the apple trees (maybe the one of the left is a lost cause as its so twisted and looks stupid)

Any help/thoughts/ideas appreciated!!!!

Other info: thick clay soil and mainly south facing. Backs onto farmers fields with a view if lincoln cathedral (hence the lower fence)

 

Not gonna be much of a help.. maybe the pro's can help out better than me but here's my 50 pence

1) cardboard will do for the time being, no point putting weed control down if your pulling it back up to put ground cover plants in? @shiney recommended heucheras to me, they come in a lovely range of colours (the red/purple and bright lime green ones are the best imo) and are suitable for sun/shade and they have really pretty dainty flowers

2) read that you shouldn't cut into the woody bits of lavender, can't remember why.. so just give him a lil haircut, flowers that are sticking up trim back to the bush and another inch.. if that makes sense.

3) cardboard again until you slab it over.. I'm a skinflint mind

4) could you tie the tree to the fence (or guide/guy rope it to the gound) so it goes back the other way or maybe cut the top branch (which is visible in the top of the pic) so it's not so lop-sided.. I am no pruning guru though.

Didn't want to read and run.. that is one lovely view too

 

Aww thanks @Linz great idea about the cardboard-i'll get the veg trug box back out the recycle bin!! Ace money saving idea....just left my job so need to save!

Got some heucheras out he front garden for that same reason-but not big enough to divide yet. Had a look and thought lady's mantle was similar and spread easy and can sow straight out from seed-i might give that a go.

Will def "haircut" the lavendars and aboid the woody bits.

Will see what i can muster up for the lop sided apple tree.

Thanks for the reply-was feeling a bit depressed looking at it all. Done a bit of weeding so looking a tad better.

 

No worries if you do guy rope the tree I wouldn't pull it tight just in case the branches snap, easy does it Don't get down about it, get a cuppa tea, your pencil & paper out and get planning

I'm out of work atm too so I like to find money saving tips, currently saving my milk/pop bottles for cloches for when I start my veg off My sister is an accountant btw.. might be best going self employed?

 

You must have good eyesight - Lincoln Cathedral is more than 100 miles away from Buckinghamshire lol..

I used to live in Normanby by Spital - north of Lincoln.

How about weed membrane - with stone chippings on top - and then poke holes in it and plant some flowering shrubs - combined with some nice pots for colour. Added advantage of pots - you don't have to worry about the clay soil.

 

Thanks FC, i had done the weed supressant and bark chippings round the front around a magnolia id planted and it works okish....still have to weed it but is better than other areas. Lily of the Valley....been scared of growing that as I heard its really poisonous to dogs and my dogs eat anything that resembles grass unfortunately. Shame as i love it.

@clanless ha ha, i live in bucks but used to live in fleet, hants and originally from Cleethorpes and also lived in Lincoln (best place I've ever lived). Mum now lives in my bungalow in Lincoln and visit regularly. Can't see the Cathedral too well in the pick but at night when it's lit up it is beautiful. Bungalow is in North Greetwell, the non-descript village on wragby road...if youve heard of it? Lol.

 

@Linz

yes, had enough of it working in london and travelling over 2 hours each way some days. Having a few months off calling it my "season of enjoyment" lolol!! Saved up a bit of money and the longer I make it last the longer I wont feel guilty about not working. Luckily mr snorky had the bills covered but feels wrong not earning my own money as I've always worked....helped some neighbours out with tax returns etc. Wish I could just do gardening lol

 

Finished for the day:



Feeling a bit better about it now!

Haircut the lavenders
Weeded all borders
Tidied up apples/leaves
Pruned apple trees
Cut back autumn rasps
Weeded front garden
Put down the cardboard
Scrubbed some of the patio that had gone green
Planted 20 allium that id found in a pot in the greenhouse

Pooped now!