New Gardener - help!

Hi there

I hope you're all well.

After many many many many many years renting, I've finally bought a house, and I'm lucky enough to have gardens at the front and back of my (dilapidated) property! I need some expert help with the front south-facing garden (back garden post to follow separately as it's an absolute mess and I don't know where to start).

I've done some digging and have a rough idea what to do but it's all a bit overwhelming, so I thought it would be great to have some advice from more experienced hands and minds.

I'm quite worried about the apple bush that is very close to the wall of the house (the roots may be actually growing under the house)?

Please find attached some pictures (I gave it a major trim recently). I think the following plan seems OK, but would love your thoughts:

• Pull out loose grass and weeds by hand.
• Remove dead stems and old growth at ground level.
• Rake out leaves, moss clumps and debris from slab edges.
• Use a hand trowel/screw driver to define slabs again by scraping soil and weeds out from between slabs
• Keep bulbs, and cut down later when it yellow.
• Perennials and shrubs: cut dead growth down by 5-10cm.

As it's my first time, I'm also not sure if the following tools are enough or too much to remove roots for the bigger bushes:

• Hand trowel.
• Hand fork.
• Secateurs.
• Stiff brush.
• Rake.
• Do I need anything else?

Thanks in advance!

 

Firstly congratulations on your house. The house is now yours and you can do what you want in the garden, as it’s yours.

I would suggest you will need a fork and a shovel, I would say get a good one, something like Kent and Stowe, this should cost for both between £80-£100. Also get good secateurs Felco are very good, this will cost between £50-£65. Other than that you can get reasonably priced tools and gardening equipment from Lidls.

Understand what soil you got whether it is clay/chalk/sand and the ph whether it is acid or alkaline.

Other than that just work in one small area, by clearing one small area say a meter square, once cleared, you then can plant something you like and get the rewards when it grows in your garden, then you can move onto the next metre square, it is a lot easier trying to clear a big area.

As you have a south facing garden and this is a suggestion only and can be done in a grow bag or a big pot and have a go at growing tomatos, maybe try both Gardeners Delight and Alicante/Moneymaker. On a hot day and you bite into your own grown warm tomato, there is no taste like it*. Seeds are relatively cheap.

Don’t be afraid to ask advise on here, some good knowledge here and every gardeners makes mistakes, that’s how we learn.

*quoting Monty Don.

 

Congratulations to your first house and garden.
The most used tool is a scraper bought here: scraper. I don't use a hand fork because the danger to damage plants is too big. The scraper will roughen the surface marvellously and gives me more control.
When OH bought a Burgon & Ball fork and spade for £150, I complained about the price. 10 years later, I'm glad we did it. They look like on day 1 and I had several rounds like you with our garden over the years.
If you intend to plant bulbs at some point, a bulb planter not only makes holes for bulbs but you can get out dandelions and other weed too with a Standing Bulb Planter
That makes life much easier.

 

I wouldn't bother with the hand fork get a small hoe instead, sometimes called an onion hoe.
Hand trowel get one with a solid shaft otherwise they bend, if it has a bright coloured handle then it saves you painting them.
Digging fork, digging spade for the heavy work get the best you can afford, second hand from a car boot sale or similar are often good value. Don't bother with stainless steel, just clean the soil off when you put them away and use them frequently. Personally I prefer wooden handles.
A folding pruning saw is also useful you can use it for cutting through thicker roots, and when stick it in your pocket.
Get a file to sharpen spades and hoes and an old knive from the cutlery drawer to clean the soil off at the end of the day also useful for cleaning out gaps between slabs.

 

Or you could buy a nice vintage spade and garden fork second hand for much less and will last you much longer.

I've owned Kent and Stowe tools for work and had a large border fork snap on me where the steel shaft met the ash handle. The hand tools a decent enough though

 

You could also try asking for tools on Freecycle or the like. There are always people clearing properties (I speak from experience !) who are looking to rehome tools.

 

Congratulations on your new house and garden.

It's funny the different tools people like. I never use a scraper. I use what is on your list and also a big garden fork. My fork wasn't as expensive as the ones mentioned above. I like stainless steel because the earth slides off it better. I also use a hoe. For weeding flower beds I use my small hand fork and I kneel on a kneeling pad. My hand fork is my most used tool. Now I'm getting old I have one with sides that help me to get up and it can also be used as a seat. I use the hoe more in the vegetable garden. My secateurs are Felco, pricey but the best. They come in different sizes. I use No 2.

 

My favourite tools are:
Hand fork and narrow pointed trowel (I've had both for 40 years)
Border fork
Border spade
Felco secateurs
Fold up pruning saw
Telescopic loppers
A weeder tool with a fulcrum

I also have a Wolf Garten system that has the following attachments - stiff wire brush for cleaning between paving slabs, small rake, fruit picker, lopper.

We have also used a pick axe and wrecking bars to remove really deep roots!

As for your unruly rear garden, if your house needs a lot of work on it, I would leave the garden until any big jobs are completed. We used our back garden to hold the building rubbish until the house renovations were done. You also get time to see the garden over time so that you can re-plan it if needed.

Have fun in your new home!

 

Congratulations on the house!

To keep your tools clean and maintain their longevity and sharpness, I think it’s worth buying camellia oil and a small crean mate (it’s really spelled “crean” on the packaging though now may be listed as “clean”) abrasive rubber block from Niwaki.

A small bottle of camellia oil (£7.50 for 47g or 100 mL) lasts more than a year for me. I don’t have a lot of tools but I clean my secateurs and other cutting tools with each use — it’s addictive.

https://www.niwaki.com/camellia-oil/?

https://www.niwaki.com/mini-clean-mate?

https://www.niwaki.com/sharpening-tools-bundle/?

Also available on Amazon, Crocus and other websites

 

Well some good advice above, but it also depends on how deep your pockets are, partic as you have just bought your own house.

Would suggest for now you can readliy find much cheaper tools that will last a few years, even the bigger supermarkets and discount shops have a fair range of basic tools in store.

A kneeler mat and a couple of pairs of gardening gloves would be on our list of tools.

This time of year is worth being very careful where you tread as like the bulbs, many plants are just emerging and its so easy unintensionally step on them.

For a small front garden. often think covering it with a topping like decorative gavel/ slate and using potted plants is easier to maintain and allows you to quickly replace faded plants with new so keeping it looking colourful and fresh all year round.