Taming the jungle - newbie gardener needing lots of advice!

[CatOfTheDay]

When we bought our house last year, the garden was the big selling point for me - mainly because it had been neglected for so long I couldn't wait to get stuck in and sort it out!

It's a very well-stocked garden, and was obviously loved once and will be again once I get a grip on it. Week after week I get a new surprise - like the flowerbed full of snowdrops early this spring, and the pot of tulips on the decking!

I've done a lot of work on the lawn so far - when we moved in the grass hadn't been cut for a couple of years and half of it was a pile of twigs and rubble. Now I've cut the grass, waged war on the dandelions, and sawn up all the twigs and removed all the rubble - I just need to put some lawn fertiliser down and some more grass seed on the bits where the lawn has completely died off. Before and after photos included!

The problems I'm having now is not knowing what are weeds or not - so I'm going by the theory that if I like something it stays - I just don't want to pull anything up which may blossom into a beautiful plant later in the season!

Also - what's the best thing to do with plants that grow from bulbs once they've finished flowering and start dying off? Trim them back?

Any advice greatly appreciated - and if anyone has any ideas what colour to stain the decking I'd love to hear! :)

[CatOfTheDay]

Here's the before and after from the other end (please excuse my feet in the before picture - I was enjoying a gin and tonic on one of the sun loungers that I'd freed after hacking some of the grass down!)

I found two Christmas trees, a hula hoop, and several footballs in there. All footballs have been donated to the neighbours children!

My next job is to sweep then pressure-wash the patio and decking. There are also lots of large pots with nothing in, I need plant ideas for them!

[funnyperson]

catoftheday I'm really impressed you cleared up your lawn. I like your ancient chairs and suggest you paint them with dulux one coat gloss suitable for outdoors in a colour of your choice. This will preserve the wood, brighten up the garden and with cushions give you a comfy place to sit.

Pots now could be planted up with summer bulbs eg dahlia bishop of landaff+calla lilies or lilium regale+lavender or agapanthus+shasta daisies

You can also plant roses in large pots. Something fragrant is nice like Munstead Wood (deep maroon) or Gertrude Jekyll (pink) or Mrs Oakley Fisher (orange) or the Generous Gardener (cream) They can be underplanted with nepeta if in pots.

[funnyperson]

There are other pot ideas on Sarah Raven's website or the Gardeners World website

[FunkyBoldRibena]

Hi - bulbs that die back...just leave them. I recommend making labels though so that you know what they are when you are weeding.

With weeding, don't dig anything out until you know what it is.

Most weeds are pretty obvious; nettles, docks, couch grass etc...ID something before you decide to dig it out. There are a load of weed ID websites these days that will help you.

[Pannacotta]

There is a really good book which is a bit old fashioned but very helpful which guides you through renovating an old garden.
www.amazon.co.uk/Old-Garden-New-Gardener-Search/dp/0563362804/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1397980314&sr=1-1&keywords=old%20garden&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

It looks like a great garden and very secluded. How old is the house?

Yes look at Sarah Raven for good ideas but buy elsewhere as her site is very £££.
COsmos are very easy to grow from seed and look good in big pots.

What sort of style are you after? I also like your chairs. Teak oil or similar would work as well to treat them with.

Re bulbs I would just leave the foliage for now until you know what the bulbs are and then you can look up care instructions online.

[Pasanna]

With bulbs I sprinkle on sme blood and bone mix, give it a a week or so and cut them back once the leaves start to die back, this gives the bulbs a good feed and helps them flower next year. Our garden was in a similar state when we moved in, just keep on putting down weed and feed on the lawn ans reseeding where needed. I dug up all the flower beds, mostly weeds, and put down lots of manure to help the soil and feed the roses. After that it was (for me) trial and error to find out what worked in our soil.

[CatOfTheDay]

Thanks so far - Pannacotta I have ordered the book, it looks just what I need!

The house was built in the 1930's (with a more recent extension at the back). We're definitely keeping the chairs - there's also a love seat on the patio which needs a bit of restoration, and a large table on the decking.

There's an apple tree in the back corner, and blackberry bushes in the flower beds. There are lots of climbing plants around the decking and around the pergola on the patio. We have a corkscrew hazel bush too. Everything else is yet to be identified!

There's also a raised pond with a waterfall (the waterfall doesn't have a pump in it) which I didn't realise was there until I cut the grass! Today's job is to clear and wash the patio. :)

[Pannacotta]

How exciting!
There is another book which might be useful, will see if I can dig it out and give you the details.
I would take pics as you go as it helps to record progress but also what is in flower and different times of the year.

[Ferguson]

Rake or scarify the grass from time to time, and feed-weed-mosskill it. Also spike it with a big fork if it is compacted.

There is a brilliant programme on BBC4 about 'soil', that started recently, that you can probably get the first part on i-player still.

If you know where the snowdrops are you could probably still divide them, as they get very congested over the years. Just dig them up with any remaining leaves, and divide into ones or twos; dig over, or improve the soil, and put them back in spaced further apart. Should double or treble the area they cover (unless, of course, there are too many already!)

I'll look back sometime, see how you getting on, and suggest easy plants, if you need any more.

[CatOfTheDay]

Thanks - the sunshine and showers over the last few days seems to be perking the grass up a bit.

I've got that book now and it looks great - I've only had a flick through so far but I love what they've done with the garden from the 30's semi!

I have now cleared most of the patio - and sorted a garden waste collection with the council, I have 3 wheelie bins full (and only two wheelie bins so some can stay bagged up til next bin day!)

I've taken pics of some of the wild and wonderful bits round the edges. :) We have LOTS of bulbs, some have come out and others not yet - although I do know we're due a crocosmia invasion at some point as there were loads last year when we moved in - if anyone knows the best way to thin those out without ruining them all together I'd love to know - although I'm not entirely sure where they are yet!

[CatOfTheDay]

Some of the flower beds are raised with little walls round, and some are rockery-style.

[Pannacotta]

What lovely garden it looks quite magical!
This is the other book I mentioned
www.amazon.co.uk/Gardening-Scratch-Gay-Search/dp/B0052MLIVQ/ref=sr_1_34?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1398286636&sr=1-34&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21