Overgrown garden...action plan required

[bounty007]

Have just bought an old house with a walled garden which is very overgrown and wild...I have a day a week to work in it and would love some advice on how to tackle it? Thanks

First off I am deeply jealous and congratulations on your new home.

Dont try to do it all at once.

Take an inventory - what have you got and what of that do you want to keep? Dont worry if it is in the wrong place at the moment.

What is the garden orientation? This will help you decide what will do best and where ie which walls are sunny and when in the day?

What is the soil like (if you can see any!).

Be careful as you walk around the garden, if it is very overgrown you may find that there are hazards which you cant see such as forgotten ponds and abandoned tools.

Take lots of before photos, this will help you to see your progress.

I will now slink back to my horrid new house garden with its soil made of equal parts builders' rubbish and cement.

Not that I'm jealous and bitter or anything!

It sounds like a brilliant project I'd love to see some photos !

First off I think you ought to just leave it for a few weeks to see what you discover. I bet there us z lot you will be able to salvage :)

how exciting!

Brilliant advice thanks Susie. I have ordered a brush trimmer online.... awaiting delivery so that I can cut some of the overgrowth down and see what lies beneath.
Clever ideas about inventory, orientation
and taking photos. The garden is south facing with the back wall getting all the sun. (It is a mass of old bramble bushes at the mo). Havent a clue what the soil is like....it will be quite a while before I see some!

Agree with the above totally. Live with is a bit rough for a whole season to see wnat you have got and what dies back naturally over the winter. I found it helpful with my similar project to put labelled canes in next to known plants when they are there because come Feb/March they disappear!

Dont be tempted to use a rotivator until you know what is in there as some horrid weeds will trble in cover if the roots are chopped up...like triffids!!!

good luck