August Home-WorkBench

How to Deal With an Overgrown Yard and Garden

If you have a house with The Neglected Yard Syndrome there's a cure to remedy and repair it. Anyone who buys a house whose yard was ignored or abused by its former owners (for whatever reasons) is faced with this situation. A rash approach might be to go through the yard with a chain saw and electric hedge clippers and whack down anything and everything. Tempting as that might seem, prudence suggests otherwise. It's a better idea to take a slow but steady course of action that lets you first trim back ungainly overgrowth and then discover what's worth keeping and what's not.

It's a good idea to live in a house through the four season to see how the landscaping elements work. Maybe the old maple you want to remove does a fine job of shielding out hot summer sun on the patio. You won't know that until you've seen how and where the summer sun effects the house. And maybe you should wait before ripping out the massive hedge that separates your house and the neighbors. It might be there for a reason, like quelling the noise from their family of Labrador retrievers. Before you make major changes to the landscape wait until you've really lived a year in a house.

That doesn't mean to do nothing. On the contrary, you have a tremendous amount of work laid out for you because taming the jungle of an overgrown yard is the epitome of sweat equity. You can tame a yard grown out of control by taking it slow and steady. We know it can be overwhelming, not knowing where to start and what strategy to follow so here's a gameplan with advise about how to do it.

Step One

Nothing helps manicure a yard like a good haircut so mowing the lawn will be a great improvement. But first pick up fallen tree branches and break them up to use for kindling, the older and dryer they are the better for starting fires. Stack them like you would fire wood or use an old barrel or bin to store them in.

If there are heavy layers of dried leaves rake them up. If your area has a lawn refuse program find out how to have the leaves removed or where to take them for disposal. If not, you can either bag them for garbage pick up or start a pile for composting. Shredded, dried leaves are a good source of mulch so it's worth saving some if you have the space.

Mow the lawn and depending on how long it is you may have to mow it more than once. Shred up the grass clippings with the lawn mower and save them for mulch or the compost bin. Rake up any heavy clumps. Use a thatching rake to remove clumps of dead and dried grass roots in the lawn and reseed any bare spots.

Step Two

Before you know what kind of plants and shrubs are in the garden you have to find them so tackle the flowerbeds and foundation plantings around the house next. Rake out leaves and remove sticks and debris in these areas. Depending on the size of the yard this can be a challenging task that requires long man-hours but little gardening skill. Yard clean up work pays off when you discover plants and shrubs you didn't know were there like an old brick edging long overgrown with ivy or the hint of an old strawberry patch.

Step Three

Take a walking tour of the property and make a rough sketch of the yard and everything in it. This doesn't have to be anything fancy, just a crude drawing that pinpoints where trees, shrubbery, and objects etc. are located in relation to the house. Make a notation of where paths run through the yard and where fencing and gates are located. The sketch helps you remember where the shed or heat pump are and gives you an idea of how many trees and bushes you have to deal with.

The sketch will be your first glimpse of the yard as a whole. You might find that at one time in the history of the yard there was some overall design plan which might be a good starting point. Or maybe it's always been a hodgepodge of plantings with no rhyme or reason why things are planted where they are. By appraising the yard as a whole you'll be able to break it down into components or work areas.

Step Four

For a quick hit of color to make a first impression at the front door fill containers with bright red petunias or other colorful fast growing annuals. If there's window boxes fill them with a bounty of colorful blooms. These are low cost and time improvements and positive changes that make passers-by and neighbors notice that progress is underway. It also gives you a lift to see you're making the house and garden your own.

Step Five

Divide and conquer. Separate the yard into work areas such as the foundation plantings and shrubbery in the front yard, the side yard and driveway, and the deck and foundation plantings in the rear of the house. Concentrate your efforts on taming the jungle of overgrown shrubs and weeds in one area at a time. One tactic which enhances the curb appeal of your house is to start at the front and work your way to the rear.

If you have little ones confined to playing in the backyard back there where you'll be able to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Or let practicality rule where you begin. You might not be able to get your car in the driveway along the side of your house because a row of overgrown lilac bushes are in the way. That's a good place to start.

Step Six

Wherever you're working the mission is to gain control of what's there. Pull out weeds and remove any dead stumps. On overgrown shrubbery cut back all the dead, diseased and broken branches at the base. Then stand back and look at the shrub to do some selective pruning to get it back in shape. A real nuisance in overgrown gardens are stump sprouts which are spindly shoots at the base of trees. Saw them off wherever you see them.

Step Seven

If you're faced with a row of hearty shrubs like forsythia that are beyond pruning you can cut them down to their base and usually find they come right back next season. But not all plants are tough enough to withstand the shock of annihilation so ask your local nurseryman for advise.

Step Eight

The physical part of your work is over and now the fun part begins. Plant a combination of annuals and perennials to give you a combination of instant color and long term interest in your garden.

written by Gene and Katie Hamilton

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