Hello i am really not sure where to post this but this seem as good as any. I just bought a house in February and have discovered a yard that has the potential to be beautiful. Though it seems that the yard has not been touched in a couple of years. I so overwhelmed i don't even know where to start. I have vines sprawling all over the place and little purple flowers running a muck. I have trees that need to be taken down, landscaping that either needs to be repaired or removed. The list goes on and on. Anyone have any advice where to start. Here are some pictures to give you an idea lol.
I'd start with the vines and trees because when we moved into the house we're in now it was pretty much like you described yours. I started by cutting down the trees that were small enough to not take out a neighboring house, then any vines that may have been attached to them were easily removed. After that I dug up the stumps and mowed over the rest of what was left. As of six years later, anything that I could not get is easily controllable with very little maintenance. Hope that helps a little. :-D
Cleaning up first is important. Then maintaining a good garden is easier. I would make a plan of the beds I want to put in and plants I want in them and then amend the soil as needed. Compost is a must and can be bought in dry form. It'll make your plants lush and beautiful. Sun and shade is an important condideration to get the right plants in the right places. This should give you a good start.
I agree with the others, clean up first. Your photos -- what potential!!! So, this is what I'd do -- take a big deep breath and start with cutting back the vines and cleaning up, cut out dead stuff, etc. so you can see what you're working with. Then I would say to take an inventory of the plants and shrubs that you have in your space and decide which ones are things you would like to keep, which need to be taken out (like overgrown or diseased shrubs/trees, things that were planted in bad spots or poorly placed by the birds, etc), what could be moved, etc. There are probably some shrubs that can handle being cut way back -- and if you do this, they will take up less space and you can see if you like the way it comes back. By then you can do some planning because you'll be more familiar with the way the light moves across the space, how you might want to use the areas, etc. Take your time. Figure out if you can use the things you have, and add your favorites! I had this same experience when I bought a house in Illinois a long time ago. The yard was so overgrown, I felt completely overwhelmed. I asked my mom to fly out from Maryland to advise me and I remember one day we superpruned 28 honeysuckle bushes in the backyard. Turns out, underneath all that overgrowth, there were some wonderful things in that yard. I added to it over time and it wound up being so beautiful it broke my heart to move away. Garden Stew folks are amazing -- they know so much. they will give you excellent guidance! Good luck!!!
