Removing trees/plants from established garden

[Wingingit202122]

Moved into property beginning of the year and there’s a large established garden which in all honesty i want to remove.
Theres a large acer tree, bamboo tree among others
What’s the best way to go about doing this?

Why?

Seems a shame to get rid of an acer.
Get someone to dig it up for you?

It’s a council property, isn’t it? I’d be surprised if you were allowed to remove an entire garden from a council property.

i believe bamboo spreads? so that is fair enough perhaps

all plants were planted by previous lady so council won’t do anything. i’m guessing by the size they are possibly 20ish yrs old
the whole side of the garden is literally a rat run as it’s so thick with other bushes and plants and the remains of an old pond which is where the bamboo is growing from (bamboo is about 12ft tall) . i’m assuming the fence behind is damaged as the rats i’ve seen literally run only in and out of that area.
although the plants are beautiful i’m not green fingered at all and in all honesty i’d rather lose them to be able to clear the area and repair the fence and know that it’s safe for my kid to play outside

Some bamboo spreads but some doesn’t. Best to establish which it is. Then pot up and put on free cycle - someone will snap your hand off for the acer. Maybe pot up what you don’t want and have a plant sale?

yes, offer it to your neighbours?

Why don't you cut it right back quite brutally rather than dig it all up?

An overgrown garden will NOT be attracting rats. Their presence will be due to them finding a source of food somewhere nearby, and since it is a council property, report the infestation to the council pest control people for them to deal with.

Please don't get rid of the acer, they are beautiful and the planet needs all the trees it can get right now. Bamboo yes, but that is going to be a trial to get rid of as it spreads by runners underground. Neither of them will prevent your children from playing in the garden.

It seems a shame to throw the baby out with the bath water and clear the whole lot rather than give it all good cut back to see what you’re working with and to give access to do repairs etc.

If you are dead-set on removing everything, I would put a note on your local Facebook group with photographs, offering the nature shrubs, trees and grasses for free but the collector must dig them up, remove them and provide their own pots. My local group has had this sort of offer a few times and they’ve been a roaring success as large, mature plants are very expensive (hundreds of pounds + each).

I don't see how removing estabilshed plants will make it safer for your child?

Have a tidy remove the pond and any junk. Bamboo will be extremely tough for anyone to dig out so it would be a mini digger type job so will cost a lot plus removal. So a tidy is best. Like PPs said call the council once tidy and repory the rats. I had them nest in my compost bin ( no food just plant waste) in my otherwise very tidy garden. They are everywhere unfortunately.

i’m aware that the plants aren’t the cause of the rats but the density of the area is making it very easy for them to remain hidden and like i say, makes it hard to view their entry/exit point

both of my neighbours have dogs so i assume that’s the food source they go to. the pond has been built around with bricks so very hard to access without removing some of the plants first

this is the area, the brick part in the left hand corner is where the pond has been built in

It's lovely, you really want to remove this and look at a bare fence?!

That's not overgrown.

It’s your garden! The sooner you pull out the stuff you don’t like the sooner you can start establishing what you do like.

Gardens change with time and they benefit from renewal.

Acers are expensive and can be pretty. I’d remove the bamboo, trim back the acer and see how I felt before removing it.

A word of caution, it took us two years and two professionals to get some “non-invasive” bamboo out. You have to be patient and vigilant.

It looks cool and charming.
Why destroy that?

thanks all. i think for now ill do as @EmpressoftheMundane has suggested and i’ll get rid of the bamboo, the ivy and trim back the acer and camellia. hopefully once the bamboo and the pond go i’ll appreciate the rest

It looks lovely actually. I’d give it all a good tidy first, the acer is clear underneath so I’d leave that. I’d also put Jeyes fluid down - they hate it apparently. I feel your pain re the rats - we have an allotment with an infestation in one of the other plots (fucking chickens!) and they sometimes stay into ours. I have a huge phobia and have to go home if I see one.

That's really pretty. I would get a gardener in for an hour if you can afford it to advise you. The acer won't grow much bigger than that but I can see why you want to clear the bamboo. You can cut back the hydrangea but again it's pretty low maintenance.

they are honestly awful and quite fearless. we have had one run past us a few days ago, broad daylight and literally 6ft from where we were standing. it’s worse as this area is at the front of the garden so literally have to cross their path to get the more clear rear. my kids are terrified of going out and it’s just not a nice experience! plus they are bloody huge! but yes i think the acer may stay as your right, underneath that is clear

any idea where i could find a trusted one @Clymene? most on fb seem to just be jack of all trades!

Get Pest control in for the rats.

don’t touch the acer.

Get someone in to cut back the bamboo, I think it’s clump forming and not invasive.

cut back the hydrangea in the autumn after it has flowered. You can do this hard but you will lose the flowers for one year.

the ivy can be cut back with shears or a hedge trimmer. Don’t pull it off, it’s protecting the fence and it’s amazing for wildlife.