Large mature garden which needs care. Please help!

[janicer]

I have just moved into a new house and it has a large mature garden with lots of well established shrubs, climbers and trees. eg crysanthemums, clematis, acers, roses, fuschia. The house has been empty for a few years and so the garden has been uncared for, as its now february I would love to get in prepared for spring but not really sure what to do. Any tips for where to start would be great. Many Thanks!

[rainbowgardener]

Lucky you!

You are in Ireland? (I think there's also a Lisburn in Pennsylvania, USA, don't know if that's because it was settled by people from Lisburn, Ireland or just coincidence.)

Best thing you can do for your garden right now is start a compost pile (if you aren't familiar with them, browse around in our Compost Forum). That way when spring comes you may have some finished compost. Best single thing to add to the garden!

Otherwise, depending on your climate, there may not be a lot to do in Feb. My garden is under inches of snow. But to the extent you can, I would start by just walking around in the garden alot, get familiar with things. If it were me, I'd draw out a plan of the garden, to show what is where. And start observing the sun exposure, what parts of the garden get sun when (which changes through the season). "The best fertilizer is the gardener's shadow." I.e you need to spend a lot of time and get to know your garden well.

The main things your neglected garden is likely to need going forward is WEEDING (why you really need to know what everything is and what's where, so you will know what is weeds), feeding, and pruning.

Early spring while the weeds are little and the ground is wet is a great time for the weeding. Then lay down mulch to help keep them from coming back. In between the weeding and mulch, would be a good time to add compost, composted manure, mushroom compost, worm castings, last fall's leaves if there are any around, or other organic materials, to start replenishing your soil. Early spring is also a good time to prune rose bushes, cut back any winter killed stems.

Let us know how it is going for you and any questions that arise as you start this work! Pictures would be lovely (in the introductory section Helpful Tips and Suggestions for new members are instructions for posting photos here)! And welcome to the forum! So glad you found us!

[ciarandebuitlear]

Maybe these are ideas of what you don't need to do if your garden is already a bit overgrown but at least you might be able to incorporate some of them in your plans and help the wildlife!

Avoid chemicals
Let some grass grow long.
Start a wildflower meadow
Add a log pile.
Plant a hedge
Any small body of water in the garden will attract more wildlife into the garden.
Grow some wild flowers alongside your existing plants. You may already be half there!

[SWMOgardens]

Here is one tip that will save you a lot of work. If you have a bed full of weeds, you can cover it with 4-5 sheets of newspaper, then add about 4 inches of mulch on top. It will save a lot of weed pulling.