Anyone else find their garden overwhelming??

[Theygolowwegohigh]

This time of year everything seems to grow a foot at a time while I'm not looking and I'm completely overwhelmed by it! I have a fairly long back garden.

Both sides of it have hedges and one is huge and full of ivy, the other is more well behaved but still obviously needs trimming regularly.

I have a lawn with an old wavy path through it, crazy paving style. The lawn is terrible and nothing I've tried gets it looking nice. It grows ridiculously fast most of the year. Then in winter is like a bog.

Ive a raised bedding area that's been made of loose bricks. It's full of too many plants and weeds. And the edges of it are wobbly.

I've a shed that's very ramshackle and quite an eyesore, and in danger of falling down if you lean on it. Nothing can be stored in it as it's rotten and full of holes.

I feel like I'm constantly trying to keep it just looking maintained and it never looks nice.

I rent, and I can't make major changes to the garden, and couldn't afford to anyway! I've asked again and again for the shed to be looked at but it's always bodge repaired. I wish theyd pull it down but they'd need to put up a fence where it is which would be costly for them so they don't.

Then my front garden is a fairly simple style of gravel front garden. But again just seems rampant with weeds that I can never keep on top of. I started trying to move the gravel in autumn to dig out any weed roots. But under it I found another layer of gravel 😭 and ran out of steam. It's currently calf height with those really sharp prickly weeds.

Anyone else feel the same? Can anyone give any advice on how to keep on top of it?

Yeah its hard work, & I imagine pretty hard to be motivated to do if renting as you won't get the full benefit of it making your house worth more etc.

Will you be renting this property for long do you think?

For the shed I'd be tempted to put it in an email (if you haven't already) pointing out how dangerous it is, in case it goes on to injure someone/a child. Could you slowly over time 'accidently' make it a bit worse but leaning on it a few times so they have to sort it out?

Yes I could have written this myself. I feel like we’re fighting with it rather than enjoying it! I need to re-frame how I feel because nothing is going to change for us anytime soon and I need to be able to relax in my garden!

We rent and have a very lovely garden(see pic) - hence I'm afraid I have a guy out every 3 weeks for £60 for a few hours - to keep it lovely . We don't have the tools or the knowledge to keep it in this Nick!!

Will I be renting it for long. Probably, but not out of choice. It's not an area I want to be but it's not a bad area. I need to stay nearby for youngest school, eldest SEN day setting, and ex so we're near each others houses for the kids. All my family live the other side of town. Moved this side when I moved in with ex. Had another child (so now can't downsize, my houses before were always smaller, he wanted a bigger house) and then he moved on. 🙄😔

I guess I feel I'm here due to circumstances out of my control really. Private rents are few and far between since covid, all expensive etc. So I'm staying put. 🤷

The shed: I've been asking for repairs to it since I moved in six years ago. They just patch it up and declare it fixed. 🙄 I had a handyman look at it myself recently with the mind to at least get it fixed properly but at a cost to me and he said he'd not personally repair it. Most of its rotten and it would cost more to repair than a new shed or a fence. Repair requests are always done via the estate agent.

I am meant to have a handyman coming to tomorrow organised by the landlady to look at it. I'm not holding my breath as no doubt it will be the same handyman whose "fixed it" previously.

My elderly neighbour told me once "it needs a match taking to it" with a wink. He's usually so sweet, saw he had a rebel side. 😳🤣

@Crikeyalmighty wow that is lovely!

I did have someone at one point who would now the lawn and trim the hedges for me but he stopped doing that line of work and I've never found anyone else since that I can afford. 😔

@Firebrickblue yes I think trying to reframe how I view the garden is maybe something to try. Just not sure how. If you find the answer do let me know lol.

Anything you can add to make it a nicer and more usable area?
Some nice planters out the front, that you could take with you of you do move. Is there an area to sit out and if not would this be possible to sort out. A play area, etc. Agree on reframing - try and look for any positives or ways to enjoy.

Yes my garden is too much for me as I am on my own, especially this time of year. I have 3 lawns to cut, bushes, hedges that are all over grown. I cut the lawns 2 weeks ago and now they need doing again, cut the front bush and still got the other bushes to do. I hate it and think I will have to get someone in to get them trimmed right back, but cannot really afford to. My neighbour use to cut all the lawns for me but he only does the front one now, think he got fed up of doing it which I don't blame him

@Theygolowwegohigh I decided to have someone in on the garden rather than a cleaner - as I can clean house in my own time , whereas if you leave a decent garden for too long it then gets out of hand and we struggle to then 'make it right' also saved me buying about £300 worth of tools and we don't have a shed at this house.

I think you have to lower your expectations. I used to go to my friend's garden with the plastic lawn, composite decking and hot tub and think wow this all looks very neat. Then come back to our big garden and all I could see were jobs needing doing. But I love to watch the birds pecking the lawn, seeing random self seeded plants growing. My garden isn't perfect at all but it's full of life and sounds like yours is too.

Every year I try and set myself a project and see it as a work in progress, like sorting a rockery. I hate ivy so I'd get rid of that if I were you, if you're allowed to. I find it ugly and it strangles everything. It's always coming through one of our hedges from next door and I kill it whenever I see it.

My husband does keep on top of cutting the grass but the rest is down to me as he has no interest. If anyone comments then I remind them how hard it is for one person who works, has kids and a life to also be a gardener and stay on top of weeding, hedges etc.

I usually have one weekend where I blitz it and work so hard that my body aches. I weed, plant, do pots, hedges, clean patios, paint fences and decking (don't start painting if you haven't already, it will then need done every bloody year). After that blitz I just keep on top of it. It brings me so much pleasure to walk around and see how everything is doing though. I love it really.

The lawn - sounds like it may be on clay soil. Could you look into creating a wildflower meadow, then it would only need cutting once a year?

The raised bed - get some cheap pots and dig out/replant all the plants into them. Then with the bricks, stack them to one side, clear the area, then, first put some weed suppressant cover down, lay the bricks back over the same site but put close together, and stand the pots on top. This saves finding space to store the bricks, improves the look of that area, and lifting the pots off the floor stops frost from getting at the pots.

The shed - wait until a really windy/stormy night then go out there and push it over so that it's irreparable I'm only partially joking about that one Your LL will have to do something about it then.

Hedges - if you can't cut those, ask around the neighbours/friends and see if you can do a favour swap - y'know, they cut your hedges and you help them out with something that they need/can't do.

Front garden gravel - pull out as many of the weeds you can, then pour boiling water over remaining ones and leave. They usually wither quite quickly and within days the foliage is gone. Repeat as required . I do this on a gravelled area in my garden - works a treat.

Yes, I’m overwhelmed. There’s a whole lot of planned pruning I just didn’t get done last winter.

Luckily it’s a naturalistic style so still looks lovely even when unkempt

Keeping on top of a tidy garden is a much easier and less intimidating job than having to tackle a real mess. Could you ask your family and friends to come and help you do a blitz on it? One day of cutting, weeding and tidying then a few beers and a bbq? After that if you do a little bit, say an hour or two a week you can keep it looking tidy enough and at least clear a little bit to sit and enjoy.

Another vote for leaning on that creaky leaky shed hard on a stormy night from me.

It's really hard going. Our garden is too small to justify getting really big, heavy duty machinery in, but maintaining it using smaller mowers etc is really hard going. I say to DH that either the front can be tidy or the back, I've never managed to keep both under control at the same time. We're planning a blitz this weekend, we'll see how it goes.

mine is small and could be really simple to upkeep but I love gardening and having a garden and have crammed it full of plants.

things to make it easier….

took out the horrible boggy uneven lawn in the front and replaced with 2 paved areas surrounded by big wide borders
heavily planted so weeds are discouraged
don’t mind the odd dandelion….good for the bees
encouraged self seeders like cerinthe, poppy
planted lots of bulbs
small lawn in back that can be mown in 10 minute
plann8ng to make border bigger in back garden…more plants less lawn

friends have a robot mower on their vast lawn ….

a man does the hedges for £60 twice a year. He’s a bargain and worth every penny….outsourcing the boring stuff.

I used to have a gardner as my one luxury as I just didn’t have time. My house was a mess but the garden was lovely! He moved on to doing bigger jobs and I need to find someone cheap. I think I am going to put a card in the local shop window as there may be a keen gardner who wants to earn a few quid . I think you should push the shed over in a storm .

My landlady and handyman have been to look at the shed this morning. She said she'd get prices for knocking it down and replacing with a fence and repairing, but it was clear it would be "repaired" again. 🤬 It's maddening but not much I can do. 😔 Let's hope it's a more thorough repair this time but I doubt it! 🙄

The lawn's soil is clay type soil yes. It really suffered last summer, then it had some soil topped and seeded early spring but it's not made much difference. That was done by greenthumb who come every few months and sprinkle feed and weed on the lawn. I'd hoped now I don't have a doggy enjoying the lawn it would be better but nope.

I do enjoy my garden when I'm on top of it, but I'm juggling so much and struggling, so I'm rarely on top of it! But we get birds, bees, squirrels, etc which we love to watch. I love to sit and have a cuppa but I do struggle to not see everything that needs doing.

I've spent hours today and yesterday weeding. I'm really hoping if I can crack on as much as I can with it in the next week or two I can get it more under control. I'm aching already! Think my legs will be crying tomorrow lol.