What do I do at this time of year?

[JamesNesbittsBrows]

I'm not a gardener but we have just got a home with a lovely big garden. It needs work as its very overgrown. I've got a few days off this week so would like to spend time doing something. But what do I do? How do I start?

I just feel clueless and overwhelmed. Dh talked me into the large garden and the dc are loving the space. But I feel absolutely useless at turning it into anything.

Any ideas how I can spend a couple of days? I'm always clearing nettles and brambles......

Carry on clearing away the nettles and brambles, and get rid of obvious rubbish, old pots and whatnot. If there's a shed or greenhouse you can clear that out too.

It is always worth leaving plants and bushes etc to grow are until you can positively identify them, otherwise you might accidentally get shot of something really lovely.

Thank you so much. I'm a bit concerned that.I'm ending up with bare soil in many places!

The shed needs sorting. There's some dodgy chemicals in there.

Sorting the shed is a good start, as is clearing brambles and the like. I think it wise not to do too much in a new garden; after a year or so you'll know what you've got in the way of plants and bulbs. If you've got a garden centre nearby, there will often be a 'plant of the month' to tempt you..
Enjoy your garden, and don't think of it as a chore; it will never be finished, anyway, as you'll be enjoying planting new things🌸🌸🌸

I've got a new garden too. It's a new-build and the back is turfed. The soil is heavy clay and takes a lot of digging. It's like a bog atm and isn't draining well, then in the summer it's like a dry desert. I am at a loss of what to do with it really. I'm lazy gardener and would love to get it done by one of those gardening progs!
Anyway yes like pp says don't think of it as a chore otherwise you'll lose any joy you have in it. Good luck with it and have fun!

If you are clay ridden on a new garden (me too!!) now is a good time to dig in LOADS of organic matter before you plant.

I just dug in 600 litres of soul improver and 300 litres of topsoil onto dug over soil in autumn. Ours is so heavy too.

They key to breaking down clay is organic matter. Worms. And then frost in winter.

Loads dug in now. Then mulch annually, about 3/4 inches. But after a few years it will definitely improve.

OP clear the weeds. Get on top now before they really start growing away.

Sort your shed out. Then maybe paint it nicely and make some plans, even if it's just pots this year whilst you get your bearings in the new garden.

Thank you all. I think there's a nice garden underneath the bramble, nettles and ivy.

Bare soil seems to fill up with nettles again. So I need to plant something

Following for tips. We've moved to a house with a large established garden. I've no idea where to start and it's seems to be over growing rapidly. I can see all my neighbours snipping and chopping away at stuff!

I would order lots of free plant catalogues and start thinking about which plants catch your eye. Maybe cut them up and make file. Also spend some time on Pinterest. Put in Garden Landscapes and make a pinboard for styles and colours that catch your eye. Also visit the Library who will have lots of books for new gardeners and garden year planners,

That way when you do start you will have an idea of what you like . For this year, grow some hardy annuals that won’t mind what soil they go in.
Calendula, Marigolds, Nasturtium, Nigella, Candytuft sweet peas. Any thing that says Hardy Annual on the packet is easy. Just rake over the top soil then rake the seeds in, do this at the end of April. At that time Garden Centres will have some plug and small plants ready if you don’t want seeds. Remember to guard against slugs.

You could also get some grow bags, which are really cheap and grow some salad crops in Early April. If there are any old pots in the shed give them a scrub too, for flowers and vegetables. Summer bulbs and corms are in the shops now. You can start those in pots now , in the South, ready for some summer . In the north wait till end of March.

Free catalogues are Thompson and Morgan, Parker’s, Van Meuwan and Sarah Raven. Garden essentials are a good quality fork, spade and rake. Try to buy the best quality. I am still using the tools I bought 50 years ago.

I'm a bit concerned that.I'm ending up with bare soil in many places! Get some idea of how you want to the garden to be. Ideally, plan it all out, think about everything you'd like to do, and assign a place for everything - remembering a "working" space too. where you can have bags of compost, plants waiting to be planted out etc. Then make a start on one of them, and just keep everything else tolerably tidy (ie strim it every few weeks). Much less dispiriting than trying to do it all at once.

Bare soil seems to fill up with nettles again You need to get the nettle roots out before you plant. Fork over the top 6inches and pull out any roots - they don't have any stinging hairs so you don't need gloves.

Notso Winter is a good time to prune most things, but if you have anything with flowers or obvious flower buds, wait until they've finished flowering - this isn't just about having flowers this year, it's because plants produce flowers either on this year's wood and tend to flower later, or on last year's and flower early, so by pruning after flowering, you get the right growth of wood for next year's flowers.

If bushes are getting a little large, try taking out completely up to 25% of the oldest stems - repeat four 4 years and you have a rejuvenated bush.

I agree sort the shed. Also put up enough shelves in there etc and organise it to make work in the garden easier. Have you got the tools you need? Make a list and start looking, including second hand.

Sorry, came on to read as we're a bit further along in a similar garden project having been in almost a year but had to snigger at "you have a rejuvenated bush".

Totally agree with @MereDintofPandiculation about not trying to do everything at once. Even if you can see something you're not keen on, or that you don't want in that place eventually, put that in your plan but don't be tempted to rip out everything all at once. Otherwise you spend all your time trying to keep everything under control, and never progressing or getting one bit looking really nice. Gardens are long term, Things will unexpectedly die or flourish, spread or remain compact but that's the fun of it!

Nettles mean you have quite good soil . maybe you want a wildlife garden which would mean leaving some nettles for the butterflies. I tend to not have those long boring beds with plants and earth in them. if you have got some nice shrubs you could leave them and put grass seed around them now while there's plenty of rain and you don't have to plant anything else . That way you don't have the worry about keeping it weeded because you just mow them when you cut the grass Put colourful flowering shrubs in pots and they can be moved around till you;re happy with them.

Similar position here.
I've sourced a local farm that sells manure very cheap. I was planning to apply it as a thick mulch rather than dig in - I heard this was best for heavy clay soil? Could have got that mixed up though.:.
Ours is fairly heavy clay, but not too bad.
Sowed seeds indoors today, and planted a bare root raspberry, blueberry and gooseberry.
Planning to overhaul the front garden which needs a huge amount to get the soil decent. Want to plant a hornbeam in Autumn to filter out the prevailing wind.
I'm trying not to remove too many plants for the reason PP states above - you don't know what's there until you've been in a year.
Very cathartic clearing weeds and junk though. I love time spent in the garden.

Manure needs to be well rotted to work.
Have had goo results on clay with the clay breaker additive and lots and lots of Westland soil conditioner. It's rotted bark and chicken manure. Very fibrous, adds air and texture to the clay. And peat free.

Stinks, mind. Put 12 bags of that in your car and you realise you absolutely cannot leave it in the boot overnight 🤮

I really recommend getting in a gardener who also designs who you can pay by the hour (rather than an expensive garden designer). I flailed around in our garden for years before I did this - she made something beautiful within a year.

What’s your lawn like? Give it a rake to get some moss out and when you have a dry day, a cut with the blade on the highest setting. This is a good time to get on top of weeds. It’s lovely to do bits when the weather starts to improve and as a previous poster said, do bits at a time

@GuyFawkesDay the farm said it has been rotted for at least 6 months, is that enough?

Scribbling you were lucky , the 3 gardeners (one of whom was a designer) we've had were not particularly useful. The one we have now has to be watched like a hawk he 's already strimmed about 4 young shrubs\trees.

It could be a language thing though we're in France he's very willing though.

@MereDintofPandiculation
Thank you so much for the pruning advice. If it ever stops raining I'm going to make a start

I like moss. I have a moss garden in the winter. It's green, why would you remove it from your grass? it's just another job you don't need to do. Oh the birds love it too. They 're good at removing slugs, green fly etc.