Has anyone taken on a property with overgrown land (c. Half an acre)?

[NewRenovation]

We have taken on a renovation project holiday home (bought out a family member after some inheritance issues). I was prepared for the house and the work that entails, but there’s more land than I had realised. It was once a decent orchard/ working land area, but it’s been left to its own devices for the last 10+ years.

I was wondering if anyone has taken on anything similar? I’m a little unsure where to start. There are a lot of fruit bushes, but everything is overgrown. There’s a not quite lawn area (although it has never been a lawn - the ground is quite rocky and uneven).

I don’t know how some places look 'wild, but right', whereas others (this!) looks overgrown. I’m not sure how or where to start!

House is easy and we’re working with builders etc, but I can’t afford to get someone in for the land.

Pics would help if you have them. I'd start with what you want to save and tag those plants with ribbon and start clearing the rest. If it's a holiday home I'd go for low maintenance and no grass.

I’ll take some pictures next time I’m there (currently not allowed, which is partly my garden concern - the house will wait, the garden is growing).

How do you do 'no grass?' Stupid question. There’s no lawn, but certainly some long grassy/ hay type overgrowth.

Yes in the mid 90s! Still here. We found a mature magnolia tree!

We cleared the worst overgrowth at first with family help

Yes! We have a stihl multi tool with brush cutter and hedge trimmer, and a coupe of different sized chainsaws. You'll probably need a couple of skips and gloves!

I have - a bit more land than you (2 acres) but it was an old orchard and was really overgrown.

It’s taken a few years and a lot of hard work but we’re getting on top of it now.

Have you seen the land for a full year? I think it’s important to see the land through the whole year so you can see what you have, what you like and what you don’t like. I hate firs and we had some non native maples that we got rid it straight away.

Are they things that are dead that can come out easily? Also brambles and nettles can come out straight away.

How exciting and good luck - buy some good gloves!

That long hay stuff is your lawn, just seriously overgrown!

Invest in a strimmer!

Check if you're allowed do anything at this time of year. It's nesting season.

We had an old farmhouse with 3/4 acre. It was largely grass, which had been cut enough to get on top of again. About a third of it was a shrubbery which we had only seen in February when we first viewed the house. When we moved in, in May it was a totally impenetrable mass of brambles and nettles intertwined with the unpruned out of control shrubs we knew about. It took many weeks and one day alone we removed 43 barrowloads for burning.

There were also 40 feet tall leylandii which had to be removed professionally to enable us to fence the garden to keep the dog and toddler in.

I suppose what I am saying is it can be done, but don’t underestimate the time, effort and financial cost of getting it back under control.

We’ve got half an acre of orchard. It’s not attached to the house and so when the kids were young we neglected it.

I just paid for a gardner to come in for 2 days and get it back in order. First day he just strimmed it with a brush-cutter, second day he pruned the trees. That was all it needed. Cost about £700, but you could do it yourself if you hire the right equipment.

Then it just needs strimmed once a month in the summer ongoing.

Remember an orchard isn’t supposed to be manicured.

Don’t worry - we won’t be starting now (we can’t visit yet and this has shown us how important it will be to keep it maintainable).

I sort of know it - we've stayed there many times, up until a decade ago. We're taking it on after a long time of neglect. There are many berry trees (overgrown raspberries and brambles). I never took much notice, because it was fenced off and I thought it was owned by the neighbouring house (it was owned by a relative of my dh's).

I would love any advice - tools/ where to start. It’s not a massive area, but it’s large enough to be daunting (but exciting!)

Any ideas how to de-lawn an area?

Thank you for the replies!

I'd be tempted to just mow/cut back a winding path through it this year and then venture in more as you have time.

Yes, I think this year (when we can get there) is going to be damage limitation. Just make sure it doesn’t get worse. I kind of want to have a plan so that when we get there I can do damage limitation in a way that’s going to benefit us for the future!

Sounds amazing op
Once you get to grips with it
You’ll be the envy of everyone here

I’d love my own piece of land
My dream

@Dowser

I’d love my own piece of land My dream

I know. Same here and I can’t quite believe it. I can’t really talk to anyone in real life because everyone is having such a hard time.

You want to stop it getting totally overgrown by brambles. So firstly get a local gardener in. Ow - sight unseen - to do some bramble chopping. They’ll get going on new growth in the next month and you can stop them in their tracks if someone has a chop back and bonfire right now.

Similarly if you have fruit trees e.g. apples then a judicious prune now before they get blossom & leaves will set you up for next year. You can’t do hedges or anywhere birds have started to nest, but bare branch trees you’re just about in the window.

Get someone in now for strimmibg, brambles & burning and some pruning and you’ll be in a better place come April.

Ow - sight unseen

Brambles are ow! But I meant now.
Any useful gardener will do a day cutting back for you and it’s their less busy season right now so I’d chuck a bit of cash that way right now. Then when you can visit you’ll have the more considered stuff to do.