Gardening advice please

[misspiggy42]

We have taken on a house with a massive garden. It has lots of borders and a big lawn. Dh has dutifully taken on grass cutting responsibilities but the borders have been left to rot this year. There seems to be a lot of bulbs that reflower year on year (perennials?)

I'm a total novice. Never had a proper garden and certainly never done any gardening work. Obviously I realise it's too late in the year to do anything with it now. But next year I want to be prepared. I don't expect an award winning garden but right now the soil is rock hard and full of dead stuff so come next spring, where do I begin? Will it all need digging over? Will the stuff that's already in there keep coming back?

Please talk to me in idiot basic terms as I really have no clue where to start and it's upset me that we haven't made anything of the garden yet. We moved in in May and have been so busy over summer that it just hasn't happened. But definitely need to create some sort of routine and maintenance plan for next year. Help!

My advice? Hold fire for a year. Obviously weed and mow, but take the year to see what's already there and if you like it. Use the time to think what you would like in a garden and see if what comes up fits your ideas.

If you do decide to dig it over best to start now while it's dry. Once we get rain the soil will be heavy as fuck and difficult to turn. Look into "no dig" gardening. Basically means you don't walk on the beds so they don't compact and make it hard to work the soil.

But I'd still hold fire apart from keeping it neat.

If you have bulbs they'll come back next spring. Autumn is the best time to pop some more in so you get some spring colour.
Do you have any ideas what kind of garden you would like yet?
Sometimes it's a good idea to live with a garden for a year so you can see where the light falls and what kind of soil you have etc.

Maybe start off with a small patch and see how you go?

I wouldn't say you're too late to do anything at all this year! Coming into autumn can be a really busy time in the garden. As it gets cooler and plants enter dormancy, it's a great time to reposition things and put in new stuff.
I'm just waiting for proper Autumn to overhaul mine. I'm reshuffling loads of things in my beds - hydrangeas moving to a shadier spot and lots of new roses going in.

Right now, I would take stock and learn as much as possible about what you've got. Can you download a plant identification app? Or even consult with a local gardener on a one off basis, just to chat about the plants you already have and ideas for the space. A local gardening club or knowledgeable friend?

Take note of the position of the sun over the day, what aspect is the house?
South facing will get lots of sun and need planted according, North facing will be in shade most of the day - there are plants for every situation though.
I hope you enjoy it! I wish I could come and help.

I thought this looked good, I've not tried it though: www.ballyrobertgardens.com/pages/new-to-gardening

Definitely agree with the above, really worth observing for a while. Work out what you have, where the sunny spots are, where gets lots of shade etc.
As an aside though, Autumn is a great time for planting shrubs, bare root roses and spring flowering bulbs.

Actually something really practical you could do if you're watching and waiting is get a really good water butt in place so it can be collecting water over the rainy seasons. You'll definitely use it!

There’s a brilliant gardening board here on MN and no question is too trivial, honestly. Get yourself over there!

I had the same thing happen to me. Establish a compost heap system - 2 or three large enclosures made with palettes and chicken wire. Then you’ve got somewhere to put dead leaves and grass cuttings. And get a shredder. Then clear away dead stuff and cut back overgrown stuff in the autumn. Then see what grows in spring and try to work out weeds vs perennials

If you are a complete beginner and it's a big garden get some help for the first year (someone who actually is a gardener, not just someone with machines). Agree with compost heaps and shredder and water butt.

Waiting a year is all well and good but you've done that already!

If you've left your borders for a year some of what's in there will be weeds, some plants, some stuff that needs cutting back or weeding out, some that needs leaving. Just post lots of photos on here and we're happy to help. Also think about what you want to do in your garden - dry clothes? football? grow veg? dry washing? store stuff? new hobby or low maintenance?

Thank you, fab advice so far.

The lawn area is a play zone for dc - trampoline, small Wendy house, football nets.

The borders around the edge are full of big bushes and other plants but I have no idea on types. The soil is really hard and dry.

Ideally I'd like low maintenance borders but I need to be able to keep them tidy. We haven't even kept on top of watering this year so a lot of it died off pretty early.

Do you know anyone who could help you identify the plants? Then at least you can look them up and see what care they need.

Go out every week and take a photo. See what comes up. Pull out everything that is obviously a weed, and leave the rest. There are bound to be bulbs and perennial flowers that will come back every year; if you go straight in and start digging and planting, you will inevitably end up putting stuff in the wrong places.

Putting in water butts and compost heaps now is a really good idea, though. And maybe somewhere to make leaf mould if you have trees.

Try to identify the shrubs, some might need to be cut back now, others after they flower in the spring.
Post photos on the gardening thread and loads of gardeners will give you advice.

I've taken on a similar tackle! Moved from a flat where I had pots on the roof terrace to a 1/3 acre block. Initially so overgrown, we couldn't see where the garden ended. Its cleared now- but piles of bricks, rubble and tiles etc. Other than weeds- its completely bare. This summer, I've grown flowers, fruit and veg in pots, but need to plan the actual garden once the renovation is done.

I've joined the gardeners world forum which has multiple themes such as problem solving, fruit/veg, garden design etc. I'm also on nextdoor.co.uk and have found helpful people on there giving away plants. Your local allotment might have knowledgeable gardeners too which could help.

Also- walk around your neighbourhood to see what is growing in other, local gardens. We are in a heavy clay, coastal area and what grows here, will be different to say a chalky or sandy area. I've found aldi and lidl great for tulips if you need more bulbs.

Download PlantNet and take pictures of flowers, leaves, stems. This will help you id what they are and when they will flower. Some pruning and trimming back is useful in the next few weeks, but some species need to be left until February.
Boring gardens have borders or shrubs down the edges and a big square lawn in the middle. A bit like pushing all the furniture in your rooms back to the walls leaving a gaping hole in the middle. There is a trade off though between beauty and maintenance.