Anyone want to project manage me into having a family friendly garden within 12 months?

[Mumofalittlegirl]

Here's the score.

100ft garden, hasn't been tended properly in 5 years, lawn has been destroyed by rabbits (ours) digging and now can't safely be mown.

We both work full time and I have a bad back but am the primary gardener.

Garden is full of rubble, bricks, rubbish, toys, over grown established shrubs (laurel, hibiscus and a large misplaced hawthorn tree) and the lawn is a state.

I don't know where to begin.

I only really have weekends to crack it, and realistically only an hour or two each day working within my pain limits.

We can't afford to bring a gardener in, and will realistically only be able to afford one skip in the 12 month project.

So anyone fancy playing ground force and project managing me towards a family garden?

Can you maybe invite loads of friends and relatives round for a 'Garden Party', ask them all to bring gardening gloves and a garden tool of their choice, and then repay them with roast pork rolls and a couple of slabs of beer? If it looks like it could work then hire a skip for the day.

Tried that. No one would commit to a day.

Hi have a look at the landshare website - you may find somone who can help you and/or share your garden with you

www.landshare.net/

Agree with landshare or equivalent : offer whoever does the work the exclusive use of the last 20 feet as a veg garden
everybody will benefit

the other option could be to get someone in to clear, sort out basic form ie dig out borders, relevel lawn sow grass seed and plant bigger structural things. Then u have saved ur back, energy and time.

You then get to focus on the nicer side of it, tracking sun & shade, working out colour schemes and getting planting with things you want/need

sorry just re - read and saw the can't afford to pay a gardener bit, try a local college see if they do any horticultural courses they may be able to suggest volunteers who need gardening experience