Taming jungle but where to start

I think I have now got the top lawn and side vegetable patch under control so I'm to now start on the lower garden but have no idea where to start.

I would just run the ride on mower over a few times but it's littered with metal and probably too overgrown for the mower to take anyway.

I should have cleared the rubbish earlier in the year before everything began to grow but was concentrating on the top lawn.

This area is about 20m by 25m.

Should I try and save some of the shrubs or is it to far gone and just clear everything and start again

 

I would identify whats in there and work out what you would like to keep and what you don't

The stuff you don't want i would cut to the ground and clear the rubbish and then dig out

the stuff you do want I would work out the best way to keep it and either clear the area around it or dig it out and move it into a pot until you know what you want to do with it.

Oh and good luck I dont envy you thats a lot of work to do there but there is so much potential

 

I'd 1st invest in a strimmer. Petrol ones are far superior and the area is a bit big for electric cables to be dragged around IMO. I'd then strim down the long growth and identify the rubbish and remove same.If there are any plants growing in amongst the long growth/ rubbish, you could try lifting them and keeping them in pots until you have a cleared area.

After that it's a bit of a case of starting at the beginning and keep going! It can be a bit soul destroying but I find it best (I have an enormous garden which had many similar areas!!!) to tackle a small area thoroughly rather than do all of it in a so so sort of way. If you get an area of flowerbed cleared either by digging out all the weeds or using weedkiller or mixture of both you can then keep it clear by laying black polythene over the "done" area until you get round to planting it up. There is nothing worse than getting a clear bit, not having time to do anything with it and then when you do you discover the weeds have colonised it again.

Re the shrubs/trees, try to indentify what is what. On GC the likes of Silver Surfer is brilliant at identifying just about every plant/tree known to man!! As it's Spring time you can either leave them alone or you could prune stuff back. I'd be inclined to leave them and see what you have once the rest of the area has been cleared and then prune when the shrubs/trees are dormant (except any member of the Cherry family which are best pruned when in growth). There maybe other exceptions to this but that's roughly accurate!!

I certainly wouldn't clear everything and start again. Take advantage of mature shrubs and trees which will give height and maturity to the area. What you have currently growing there may not be too exciting but I'd still keep many of the plants as a frame, shelter etc for more exotic plants you may wish to get. Good luck and invest in some good deep heat type product for the aching body!