Moving into your first home can be daunting with big projects to start both inside and outside the property. We have put a short guide together to help you transform an unloved garden into something manageable and neat. 

Where to start?

 

We recommend starting from the ground up. By using a heavy-duty mower, mow the lawn to one short length whilst being cautious of rocks or stones on the floor or lining flower beds as this can damage or break your mower.

 

Once you have mowed the whole lawn, use a rake to move the cut grass and weeds to one side in a pile. 

 

It's best to bag the garden waste as you go and keep things orderly. You can dispose of the waste into the brown bin if you have one, otherwise, take it all down to your local waste centre but make sure you have the necessary documents to use it.

Hedges and Trimming

 

Next, use a hedge trimmer and shears to neaten up hedges and bushes that are crowding the garden. Look at the hedge from the side once you are done to check it is a neat vertical line. This will open your garden up to its full size making it feel bigger and less crowded. 

 

Trim around the edges of the lawn and flower beds with a small trimmer or secateurs to neaten up. 

 

Sweep up on any paths and patio area, spray weed killer on any weeds that are growing between the paving slabs. Once the weeds are dead, remove them with a small trowel. Use a pressure washer on the path or patio to clean off built-up soil. 

Ivy

 

Strip away all ivy, especially ivy that has grow up house walls as it will grow into the mortar and cause problems with the structure of your house. Use a trowel to scrape off stubborn roots off of the walls.

 

Try to remove from the root to prevent is growing back. Use a weedkiller to help if it is too difficult to take out. 

Flower Beds 

Weeding is probably most gardeners' least favourite part of gardening. Some weeds can be stubborn and difficult to remove. The best way to weed, is with a large and small trowel, with a small fork. Dig deep near the weed and lift up, any smaller weeds can be lifted with a small trowel or fork. Use a weedkiller to kill off any last stubborn roots and weeds. Get rid of small pebbles and stones in the soil with the small trowel, then to smooth out the flower bed dig up the soil to separate it and smooth it down with the trowel.

When choosing flowers, think about the position and amount of sunlight they will get, as well as how much rain they will get due to their position. 

 Finishing Up

 

The rest of the weeds will die in around 1 month's time and your garden will start to thrive again. Make sure you tidy up your garden every few weeks to keep it from overgrowing too much.