Grass is always greener...

Thanks Clueless, well on your encouragement I had another hack n' slash session today. We've had beautiful weather, hard to believe after the hard frosts we had a couple of days ago.

 

Well done Dan, we are all willing you on here!!

Val

 

I've got a 1/4 acre and, apart from the back third (lovingly called "the copse", even if it isn't now) the rest was the opposite to yours: just lawn (boring!).

Our first priority was to tackle the copse end. Full of brambles, nettles, bent prunus saplings: ugh! But, not thinking straight, it was also a haven for lots of wildlife

After we had "cleared" the copse area, we were left with one pear tree and a handful of prunus and one, very old willow (which has now gone to that great garden in the sky courtesy of honey fungus and a tree feller).

My advice would be to *not* take out too much ... due to the wildlife with may have become dependent on it and also because it costs a flipping fortune to plant up an area of any size!

Only yesterday (thanks to the ID section) I discovered I had a common hazel in my front garden. It needs to be coppiced and I'm going to try to get some cuttings to root from it so I can put some back into the copse end.

I think your garden has a lot of character and has the potential to be a really interesting, mysterious, fun place to be for both humans and wildlife

 

AAAAAAH! you lucky person. I would give anything to have a garden like that. The potential is enormous. Like everyone has said - one step at a time. Keep us posted - would make an interesting online gardening series.

 

Thanks, yes we are lucky to have found something with such potential, apparently it was an award winning garden - something to do with the daily mail... but I've no info on that :-(

The woodland at the bottom of the garden has obviously grown from bushes to giant trees. The bridges over the man-made streams have all collapsed but the streams are gone too, just leaving boggy areas where the water collects in the decaying pond liner. It's my favourite part of the garden as its so wild, I love seeing nature take over where man left off.

What's amazing is that there are a lot of plants that have survived being left to their own devices for years, although some have perished, the bulk of them although leggy due to competing for light are still healthy. I'm not sure how much longer that would be the case as the amount of trees that have sprouted in the middle of borders and paths is astonishing.

No more photo's to add for the time being but hopefully some this weekend. My task this weekend is to prune all the roses, I fear I may have left it too late as they are all starting to sprout shoots.

 

Good luck Dan!! It'll be interesting to see how it all develops.

 

I obtained my goats for the removal of brambles and they never grew back, beware though they eat indiscriminately.

 

No its not too late, just do what you can. The garden has fended for itself for some time, so I would concentrate on cutting things back, then you might get a better idea of the shape of the garden, and you will see the more urgent jobs.
Assign a place for a bonfire and keep piling your prunings on, we love bonfire pictures.

 

I'd love goats, but fencing would be a nightmare here.
No bonfire now, its all been shredded should make good mulch in a month or so.

 

Good luck Dan. I've been through something similar over the last few years. Just take a job at a time, little and often and you'll be through it in no time. Definitely tool up too. I started with a scythe to get the brambles out and the long grass and then invested in a ride on mower and chain saw. Once you have the thick out keeping on top of what you've already done keeps getting easier. Eventually I'm at the point where I can start to put things back in and add some interest. You get through it eventually...

Before and after;


During;


Same area after;

 

I'd concrete over the lot.................















Only kidding! What a fab space, something I'd love to turn into individual gardens/rooms.

 

That's the sort of thing my other half would say Al n and mean it!