For neglected gardens and lettings
Getting an Overgrown Garden Back Under Control
The order to tackle an overgrown garden, and what a one off visit covers.
An overgrown garden is a confidence problem more than a horticultural one. It is hard to know where to begin, so nothing begins, and by August it is worse.
There is a sensible order to this work, and following it makes a neglected plot look transformed long before every job is finished.
Start with edges and structure
Cut the boundaries and paths first, not the middle. Hedges, fence lines and path edges are what the eye reads as tidy, so a garden with sharp edges and a rough lawn looks cared for, while the reverse looks abandoned.
Once you can see the shape of the space, the remaining work becomes obvious and much less daunting.
Then the lawn, in stages
A long lawn should not be scalped in one pass. Take the top off with the mower high, wait a few days, then cut lower. Cutting straight down to normal height weakens the grass and leaves yellow patches for weeks.
- First cut high, with clippings collected
- Second cut lower after a few days
- Edges cut back to a defined line
- Bare patches identified for later seeding
Borders, and knowing what to keep
Resist clearing borders flat. Plenty of neglected gardens hide established shrubs, fruit bushes and perennials worth keeping. Pull the obvious weeds, cut back what is smothering, and leave anything unidentified until it has shown you what it does that season.
Green waste and keeping it manageable
A first tidy generates a surprising volume of waste, so decide before starting whether it is going into a garden waste collection over several weeks or being taken away at once.
Afterwards the maintenance is modest: a cut every week or two through the growing season, hedges two or three times a year, and a tidy at the end of autumn. That is the difference between a garden that stays pleasant and one you have to rescue again.
Helpful answers
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to tackle an overgrown garden?+
Early spring or autumn are kindest to the plants, but a badly overgrown garden can be brought back at any time of year if the lawn is cut in stages.
How long does a one off tidy up take?+
A neglected small garden is often a day, while a larger plot with high hedges and deep borders needs two or more. We look at it first and tell you.
Do you take the green waste away?+
We can, by arrangement, or we can bag and stack it for your own garden waste collection if that suits you better.
Can you maintain a garden for a rental property?+
Yes. Regular visits between or during tenancies keep a let property presentable, and we can report anything that needs the landlord's attention.
Will you cut a hedge that has grown very tall?+
Usually, subject to safe access and the hedge's condition. Very high or boundary hedges may need staged reduction over more than one season, and we will explain that first.
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