So we've got this little forest to play with!
We've been working on the interior of the house and so there was very little time to do anything outside. However, the weather is getting better and we'd like to start clearing up this space.
There's more to the garden, but it's hidden by a tree that had been broken and has created a little arch!
Help! š„¹
by Fabulous-Holiday148
27 Comments
depends what you want from a garden. Personally I’d get chopping and open up the space while maintaining the nicest trees, meaning I could plant some more stuff in between and space for sitting etc.
Hire some goats š
Hedge trimmer, get those border bushes back into a shape, reveal what underneath,strimmer to get lawn down a bit, mow a bit. Don’t be afraid to take stuff out to make room/light in. Sit back, cuppa, get to again
Youāve got a gorgeous space right there – how exciting!
Take a little time clearing, wildlife will have moved in – especially as this is prime nesting season, and no doubt thereāll be other creatures like hedgehogs who have made it home š„°
Find space to compost it all if you can, a year or two and you’ll get some great soil out of that lot.
Take it steady. This will look amazing with time.
Following, because I also have a tiny bit of a rather overgrown garden, and zero gardening experience š
Move the bin, cut a path and a couple of clearings with a mower. Some wildflowers Maybe hang a hammock. That’s it. Maybe a pond would be nice.
I’d leave it alone. Maybe put a little path in. Great nature garden
Its going to take years, as it should. Take your time.
Mentally draw a line about 5m from the house. Then focus on getting things clear and tidy to that line.
Then mentally draw the line 5m further in, rinse and repeat.
Remove all rubbish, rubble, etc. as you go. Don’t just keep moving it further down the garden.
Start a compost heap early on, and you may want a shredder looking at the amount of feral sycamore/field maple you have. And a hover mower for the ‘lawn’. Much easier than a wheeled mower when it’s a bit rough.
Make space for compost binsā¦youāre going to need them! Cut the grass first. Anything you recognise and dont want ,cut back or dig up. Trim and shape bushes and I think sit with it for a season so you can see what youāve actually got. It looks like it could be a really nice space once youāve e got on top of it and personalised it. Enjoy discovering your new garden.
Mow off everything you don’t want then pick a thing you do want and work around it to get it fully clear, rinse, repeat,
Goats
As others have said, think about the wildlife: we don’t know what your surroundings are, but your can have a look around to get a better idea.
You can keep a rustic look and yet have a neat green space. My priority would be to keep some harmony with the building and the landscape around it, but then we all have a different lifestyle: keep in mind the time required to maintain the garden after is completed, that can become a deal-breaker.
What do neighbour’s gardens look like
Ooh exciting, moved in to one similar but probably a bit worse in 2017, the advice Iād give you is take a few mins to research what youāre chopping back, I ruined a beautiful blue hibiscus for the following 3 years by having a cut every thing down to about a foot and see what happens approach, no previous gardening experience or interest,I moved again last year, similar garden again but much wiser, keep what you can as Iāve found out in the last couple of weeks that plants and shrubs have increased in price dramatically like every thing else.
Cup of tea
https://preview.redd.it/gaj6z22s4c0h1.jpeg?width=465&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fb60e6c9cc5e0b1ef78c1f57899f39bc5ef0ca21
As a start, grab a strimmer and strim this bit down to a manageable height, like low enough you have some useable space. It’ll help it look better in about 20 mins of work and youll feel way better about it all.
Then get a hedgetrimmer and reduce some of the big bushes and any brambles etc.
Youll then be able to make a full plan for moving forwards.
https://preview.redd.it/g1pjceh55c0h1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=4e60dc64347e3271354e01b8748586eb30841a29
Fire cures most things š¬
What an excellent space and it will be very satisfying to see it brought under control. If that’s a sycamore growing against your railing I would consider getting that out and stop the roots travelling towards your property. Please keep posting updates as you go.
I kept most of similar (neighbours have a lot of self-seeded trees etc that arenāt managed) and leant into shade-loving plants after a few failed attempts (ferns especially!). Pots in sunnier areas. Water spots everywhere (bird bath, small pond, lots of dishes). Let a big chunk of the lawn go wild with wildflowers/tall grass.
Would suggest drawing something out and doing a bit at a time, just like the DIY š
I would say itās almost perfect already. What a haven for nature and wildlife. Itās almost perfect already
Goats. The answer is always goats.
No neighbours at the back to overlook your green space – lovely
Grab a Beer…. It will become clearer the more you sup