New Garden

[BungalowBuyer]

I'm hopefully moving very soon to a bungalow with an established but neglected garden. My current garden was a blank canvas, this is the first time I've taken over an established garden.

Its been empty for around 18 months with a gardener just cutting the grass and keeping it fit for viewings. Lots of weeds, last years growth still in the border for things like alliums, herbaceous perennials looking beautiful but covering large areas. Climbing rose that needs to come out because it's growing too tall and wide and hanging over the door and window etc.

Any tips would be appreciated, I'm going to start with weeding and trying to identify what plants are where, thankfully it'll be summer so most things will be visible, except spring bulbs.

In particular, I've never had a front border adjacent to the footpath before, obviously I need to keep it from overhanging and there's at least one shrub that's too big for that position and needs to come out, or be at least severely pruned, any tips for planting that border would be appreciated.

If I had to describe my gardening style I'd say fairly cottage garden. I like full borders and lots of cool colour, I don't use bedding plants except in hanging baskets. I have a bulb buying problem.

I know it's so tempting to start digging up and planting straight away, but for the first year I'd plant nothing and just tend and prune what's already there. Who knows what delights are hiding that you won't know about!
You can download various apps that will help you identify any plants you don't know, and as the garden hasn't had much love for the last 18 months I'd just feed it generously, cut back hard where needed as each plant finishes flowering, weed and deadhead. That way you'll get to really know the space, the light and the soil. Unless its a plant you really hate I wouldn't be too quick to take out things that look like they've got too large; mature plants are really expensive to replace, and those overgrown plants are clearly very happy and well suited to that spot! I'd personally give them a really hard prune and a good feed, and then see how you feel about them this time next year. The climbing rose particularly will take a really hard prune, I tend to cut my climbing roses back by at least two thirds each year, and they seem to thrive on it, generating lots of fresh new stems in the spring. There was a very overgrown shrub in my garden when I moved in which completely overwhelmed the space. I pruned it back by about a third each year for the first three years, and by the summer of year 3 it looked it looked fantastic, and completely in proportion. I was so glad I hadn't taken it out completely, which had been my initial instinct. When things are very overgrown like that I find it works better to get in and take out whole overgrown branches as well as pruning to size. That way you can improve the shape of the plant, and lots of new fresh growth will come through next year. Good luck, enjoy your new garden!

Take a LOT of photos through the growing season and make a diagram of where things are. Received wisdom is to do nothing radical in the first year while you learn what’s already there, where the soggy bit and sun traps and exposed bits are, then start to plan your changes.

Do it bit by bit. We tended to have one project per spring/summer and altered it slowly whenever we had the money and the energy to tackle it.

I've asked dd to draw me a digital plan of the garden I can print out and write on as I work out what's there.

Totally agree with others! Try to observe first. Look at the structure- the "bones" of the garden- it's layout and features an take lots of photos and notes. plants are increasingly expensive so pruning, splitting, moving is a better option. Years ago I inherited a garden with lots of yellow shrubs. I couldn't afford to replace them and used them (ie yellow) instead of white highlights in my garden. Now looks fabulous and I'm so pleased I adapted rather than ripped up and changed- it's a better result for having paused..