My 1st garden - Project 1: Overgrown flowerbeds

Having recently moved into a new house with a garden, I want to keep on top of things and tidy it up so I can learn about what I've got before I try to grow my own things next year.

I've mastered the lawn mowing (it's about 16m sq, so not too much of a job), so I'm looking at the borders beneath the hedges.
They're a little overgrown with plenty of weeds so I want to get the weeds out, leave the nice flowering plants (I don't really know what I've got, so there'll be some identification coming up soon), and then improve the soil and prevent further weeds popping up straight away.

Is this a sensible plan of action?
1) Weed - getting on my hands and knees and geting them out from around the flowers.
2) Add a compost (will have to be bought in)
3) Top with a bark mulch or something

Any help grately appreciated.

Cheers
Andy

 

Thanks Marley, i'll get the camera out tonight and get some pics up asap. :gnthb:

 

So i managed to get a few pics of the garden taken from above.

We've a nice Lily in a pot. It wasn't much when we moved in but a bit of sun and water has seen it come out nicely and it smells great.

Anyone know what it is? It seems to love leaning to the one side there, but i'm not sure if we should try to centre it.

 

This coud be a very nice garden, however the shrubs/trees and the hedge do seem a bit overpowering. I'd eventually swap the hedge for a post and panel fence which would increase the size of the garden. We went "halves" with our next door neighbours when I replaced both of ours.
These are expensive to have done as half the cost is in the labour, but they're a doddle to errect yourself if you are "good at lifting."
From the photos it looks like "your" hedge, but that might be because your neighbour keeps his side trimmed. I'd continue the fence along the back of your garden too, to increase security. Is that trellis the end of your garden or is it the same depth across the back?
As your garden seems higher than the roadway beyond, I like the fact that you've got a great deal of privacy.

 

Some good ideas there. Thanks - I'm really looking forward to us being able to settle in for the long haul and make something of the place.

There's a set of steps off to the right, at the end of the lawn leading to a sunken concrete "area" behind the trellis. This was where the previoud owner had his shed and where we'll be erecting ours (when I get round to it).

 

I'd agree wholeheartedly with that!
Check first with your neighbours about who owns the hedging on wither side of you, before you go removing it. If it is yours, tell them you're going to do that, especially the Leylandii, as, much as I loathe and detest it, it does provide excellent privacy.

 

I think hedge removal might be a little hardcore for me at this stage, but i do plan to cut them back as much as possible to open up a little space and neaten things up. There's definately a lot of pruning / trimming to be done.

Knowing how anal i get about neatness and tidyness though, I can see myself looking at the removal route further down the line. Maybe for a fence, maybe for a different tybe of hedgy boundry, maybe for a combination of the two.
:lollol:

I quite fancy digging out the bed right at the bottom of the garden and building up a raised bed down there. That bushy looking thing down there is 3 things in one, all intertwined. And there are broken angular (not rectangular) paving slabs in amongst the bed as if it was maybe a rockery previously.

Thanks for the comments, it's really useful to have an experienced eye cast over things and a fresh perspective on it.

 

Thanks for the tip - just imagine if i'd have gone in tools blazing to end up with just bare wood.

So does this mean that once they've reached a certain size, they can't be cut back too small without ruining them?
Seems like they're something worth staying on top of then - for fear that if they get too big, they have to stay big.

 

They require constant trimming, twice a year, perhaps more if you want them to be a certain width and height. If you miss even one trim, you cannot cut back to the previous size, without cutting into brown wood.

 

Now I understand people's feeling about / against them. :(

 

That...and also that they steal all nourishment/water from surrounding ground, block sunlight and prevent you growing anything under them whatsoever.

Worst, if your neighbour plants a hedge of them, you have to trim them on your side, whether you want to or not:( That is what REALLY p***** me off about them.

Totally, utterly unsuitable for a small garden (actually make that most gardens!).

Rant over...