I dont know where to start

Hi Guys,

Ive recently bought a house that has a nice decent size garden. Having never had a garden before i dont even know where to start with mine. This garden looks like nothing been done to it for atleast a couple years, grass grown out of control, bushes everywhere, rose bushes and thorns all over. I want to keep the roses, but i want to grow my own plants my way, maybe a border and a nice lawn. But i dont know how to go about it.

I have bought myself a good spade, rake, pitchfork and some other tools that i thought will help. But i dont know what to do.

Please help

Pratik

 

Hi Pratik......post some photos of the garden that way people will be able to give you good advice on the best way to start the ball rolling.

 

Welcome to the forum, Pratik. Sounds like you have made a good start with the tools.
I suggest you get a lawnmower and cut the grass if you have not already done so and things will start to look more in control.
Are the thorns brambles? If so, you could start cutting them down - you will need to get rid of the roots later but at least it will clear the decks so you can see if anything else is growing.
Roughly where do you live, BTW?

 

Hi (again ) Pratik and welcome (again )

Ok, a spade, rake, fork are good starting points because you will never regret having those essential tools.

But! (Yup, there's always a 'but' ) ... "decent sized garden ... never gardened before ... grass out of control ... bushes everywhere ... rose bushes .... thorns" doesn't actually *tell* us anything, even though you may feel it says a lot!

Out of control grass could be managed with some mowing; but, that would depend upon the "type" of grass.
Bushes everywhere is ambiguous: some bushes (shrubs) can be very useful, others invasive, some worth propagating!
Rose bushes: some are cute, some are desirable, some could be a nuisance, but, there are so many varieties that it is difficult to make any observations without actually knowing what they are
Thorns: do you mean brambles/blackberries?


Ok, so, back to basics (which is how you will obtain the most pertinent advice ):-

~ what is your soil like?
~ which aspect does your garden face? (North? South? Etc., )
~ are you able to post any pictures so those with the knowledge for your particular set of circumstances can give you the best advice, based on your criteria?
~ what is your (general) location? County would suffice; or even Country if you are not UK located.

Now comes the fun part!
~ what would you LIKE to grow?
~ what will you use your garden for the most?
~ do you have children, who may need a child friendly area/play area?
~ do you entertain a lot and wish to include an area for that in your garden?
~ which *types* of plants are you interested in? Evergreen? Perennials? Annuals? Tropical?
~ also, consider "how much time" you can (realistically) give the garden. This can help others offering advice an opportunity to guide you accordingly

Please do not feel overwhelmed by the questions I have asked. They are not obligatory, or, all inclusive, but they will get you thinking along the lines that forum members may be inclined to ask, and gives you a head-start on clarifying your particular needs/requirements/situation

Could you post pictures so we know what you are dealing with? Or, if you prefer, just begin answering as many of the questions I've thrown at you asked, so we can give you the best advice, based on your personal situation/experience/needs/desires.

 

I live in Brighton,sussex uk. The thorns are in think part of the rose bushes. I dont know what sort of plants other than roses grow here. Lol thats are far as my gardening knowledge goes. Its a south facing garden with lots of sun.

I still dont know what types soil there are or what type of soil i have here. But i presume very old and untouched. Id like to have a mice lawn. No kids yet. Id like to use the garden to grown nice colorful plants. So i dont know what types of plants id like to grow either. Very overwhelming really.

We have just moved in so we arent entertaining either too. There is no time limit. But i would like to take proper time in doing in properly and getting a wonderful garden.

Thanks again

Ive attached a few pics too

 

I love that garden as it is. It looks like its got lots of hidden corners, which I think is one of the key ingredients of a brilliant garden. If it was mine though, there is one thing I'd change, and that's the straight path. Straight paths are functional, practical, easy to work around, and boring. They also lead the eye straight to the end, making the garden seem smaller than it is and giving the sense of walking past the garden rather than through it, and there is no element of suspense or surprise. But that's just me.

I really like the third pic. It took me a while to work out where abouts in the garden that is, based on the first two pics, which makes it brilliant. I'm still not sure I've solved it, but I think the garden is in two sections, with the lawn enclosed between the house and the shed. The fact that I'm not sure exactly where it is in relation to the first two pics makes it brilliant because its like a hidden section, and I think all gardens should have a hidden section or two

 

You got it right. Its basically in 4. The shed. The lawn. Both at the back. And the front is in two sections with busyness if i can put it

 

It's difficult to tell you where to start with your small amount of knowledge at the moment Pratik. I suggest that you start with digging out anything that looks dead and anything that you don't like the look of. There is no point in keeping plants that you don't find attractive.

The plant with the red flowers in your third picture is a Paeony, that will die back for the winter and re-shoot next spring. If you are happy with where it is, it would be best to leave it there as they don't like being moved and generally stop flowering for a year or two.

The roses will need pruning back later in the year, probably November when they become dormant for the winter (have lost there leaves and flowers). The 'Rose Forum' here on GC has a thread telling you how to do that.

It would also help to define the borders of your lawn if you dig along the edges of it to tidy it up, it creates a nice sharp edge. The lawn needs mowing and will need feeding at some point as it's looking quite brown, but that will wait with so much else to do.

Most of the shrubs would look better for pruning to tidy them up and take out any dead branches at the same time, so secateurs and possibly loppers will have to be your next investment. A guide here is......if any shrubs are in bloom don't prune them until after they've finished flowering with the exception of the roses. With those you cut off the dead heads when they appear.

Digging or pulling out weeds will make the garden look a lot tidier too.

If there are plants that you want identified we have a forum for that under the General Gardening section. Pictures are nearly always a must there and close ups too if possible.

I think I'd best leave it here for the time being as there's more than enough for you to think about. Don't be frightened by all the work you have to do, we are here to help with any questions and we've all learnt by mistakes in our own gardens. Plants are a lot tougher than you may think so don't worry about making mistakes. Good luck!

 

Thanks for the help so far guys, its been awesome. im gonna give it ago. try and clear out bushes and plants i dont want, keep the roses and just make a clearing. ill post pics when possible

 

What a fabulous framework you have there, an already established garden, I caution you not to go at it too hard and fast, there will be lots of hidden gems, which is why I would worry if you start digging about , there`s bound to be loads of spring bulbs you could damage, start by cutting the lawn and getting to know your garden. The path looks like poured concrete clueless not an easy thing to sort.

 

I agree with Clueless in that winding paths are much nicer than straight ones. However, with so much work to do, changing the path is not a priority at the mo. The garden looks like it has huge potential and could soon be looking really lovely again without too much effort.
This is what I'd suggest as a plan of action:

This summer:
1. Clean out obvious weeds, identify and preserve as many of the good plants as possible. Make a rough plan or list as you find them. You have obviously got lots of lovely things already in there so don't go completely mad with the weedkiller or choppers. Ideally find a friend or neighbour who could quickly tell you what plants are what or ask on here.
2.Get the lawn back under control simply by mowing and neatly edging. A half-moon tool helps with this.
3.There seems to be a lot of forget-me-not - the blue stuff. It's lovely but will be getting seedy-looking by now. It will be clogging all your other plants up, so spend an hour pulling it out. It's easy to remove and will help make the rest look tidy. It'll come back next year from seeds- don't worry!
4.Prune things that have just finished flowering - as for identification help if unsure.
5.Take photographs of all beds so you will be reminded next spring of what's in the beds and how big it gets.
6.Enjoy the garden.

Autumn:
1.More weed removal as plants die down.
2.Ongoing pruning, as above.

Winter:
1.Get everything completely tidy so you can clearly see the layout. Cut down the tops of plants as they go brown and dry - if in doubt, ask on here. Remember, many, if not all will go underground and pop back up next spring so don't dig out their roots unless you are sure it's a weed.
2.Think about any small changes you might want to make next spring eg adjusting the size of beds, moving any in-the-way plants, relocating the washing line, painting the shed.

Spring:
1.Watch out for bulbs emerging and note their positions.
2.Keep on top of emerging weeds
3. Carry out small changes as above.

Summer 2
As before but add new plants if desired and there's space.

Autumn 2
As before, but also
3. Buy any new plants you fancy, make a space and put them in

Winter 2
As before but also
3. If you want major changes, plan them thoroughly on paper thinking carefully about what you want before carrying them out

Late Winter/ Spring 2
As before but also
4. Carry out major structural changes eg path changes, wall building, patio-laying, pergola-erecting but only do as much as you can be sure will be finished before March /April. Otherwise the garden will still be in a turmoil when the growing season starts and it's best to avoid that.

If you manage to get this far I expect you'll be so experienced you'll feel like a seasoned gardener. But really, for now, a good tidy up will get you a long way!

 

Welcome

I'll keep an eye on this thread, as I'm thinking of a border overhaul as well