Help! Inherited garden no idea what I am doing.

My new (1970s)house I bought has a nice garden but it needs a lot of work and I don’t know what’s a weed or what should be kept! (Some weeds look great) . It’s also wonky and I am told the previous owner was an avid gardener but as he got older he struggled with it.

I will post a few pics to give you an idea and I have put some questions below.

1. Where do I start, I think that’s Ivy or some vine based plant growing.
2. Why are the Hydrangeas falling over? I do love them.
3. That purple plant near the stepping stones, is it a weed or flower?
4. How do I tame the Bamboo?

Any advice here would be welcomed, any ideas would be welcome.

Also the other part of the garden is sloping down and from let to right. Do I post a different thread for that?

 

I think you have inherited quite a good garden there.
Might be better to ask specific questions with a picture of the plant in question rather than try to answer a lot of things in one go.
It might seem overwhelming ATM but take things in stages.
I think there are probably some nice plants there.

 

Hopefully others can make out what you have, but I would watch the garden for the year to see what else comes out....

 

Agree with the other posters but re your original questions

Can’t see clearly on the photos whether it is ivy but I would probably start by just clipping it back off the paving and paths until you identify it and decide if you want it or not

Hydrangeas often flop if they are too too heavy with flowers. Pruning can help but I wouldn’t worry about it too much at the moment

I think, although it’s fuzzy, that the purple flowers you might be referring to are Linaria purpurea. A lovely (imo) self seeding short lived perennial which pollinators also love. Some see it as a weed but it’s all a matter of personal taste for the flower and attitude to self-seeding plants, which obviously can pop up all over.

I’m not sure from the photos in what way you need to tame the bamboo? Just thinning out old tatty canes will make it look better and may help reduce any flopping.

What I would say generally is to take your time and get to know the garden and how it feels, what areas you like the best, how the sun moves around etc. Don’t rush to clear areas unless you’re ready to replant with something. Weeds love bare soil so will move in quickly if you give them luxury accommodation i.e bare, cultivated soil.

 

There’s a lot of potential there. Just keep it tidy and live with it for a while to see what else appears. Maybe add some bird feeders and think about a pond in a large pot.

 

I agree, by the looks of it you have some lovely plants there .
As previously stated, the usual advice is to give things a year and see what comes up as it progresses.
For instance, there may be bulbs that appear in Spring.
It looks as though the previous owner was very keen on shrubs (as opposed to perennial planting, although l think the pink flowers alongside the path are Japanese anemones).

I agree that it can be a bit overwhelming for forum members to try and identify a load of things in one go, so it might better just to post a photo of one area at a time.

The only other thing I would say is remember that it's your garden now, you don't have to be tied by the layout and design of what was there before.

 

Looks a great space, with boundary fencing in good condition.

Gardens can start to look a bit tired and floppy at this time of yr, so I wouldn't do anything drastic just now. Next spring you will find it starts to reveal its flow through the seasons and you will be able to identify bits you might want to change.

Go slow. There's no rush.

 

Thanks for all the feed back, really appreciate it. I would love to have an edible garden, where everything could be picked and eaten lol.
I have been here just over 2 years but didn’t really do much with it..

There does seem to be a Japanese theme to it. Its a very calm place.

Nuking the bamboo lol. I have heard it is hard to control. They planted it so close to the neighbours!

I will take some clearer pictures of the plants with specific questions and post separately.

The boundary fence is good to that part of the garden, the next part not so good lol.

Thanks again for the warm welcome.

 

Previous owners wanted a bamboo screen. Bamboo is a pain so dig it up. Then keep digging it up every time you see it surfacing. It might take years so be patient unless you are into chemicals’

 

A question on Chemicals. If used to remove or kill plants. How long until that dirt can be used again for new plant?

 

Depends on what you are using and to some extent what you are using it on.

 

Some chemicals say on the label that soil neutralises the chemical as soon as it hits the soil but I have never been able to prove that.

 

Glyphosate gets stuck to the clay particles and so becomes unavailable to plant roots.
Glyphosate is one of the few weedkillers available to Garden Centres.
Unfortunately a lot of the organic ones don't work too well.
Perhaps the bamboo was planted to screen the neighbours for a reason, I'd just remove dead and weak canes as well as those flopping on the path at this point.
Plants like the Buddleja can be pruned back to the space available.
Maybe spend this winter sorting out anywork needing to be done to steps and fences. removing anything obviously dead and just getting to know what's where and what you might want to keep.
By the way if you could add your location to your profile it would help.

 

Organic alternatives to glyphosate seem to be about as successful as peat free composts!